After three months and 15 games, the Bobcats field hockey season came to a close this weekend. Coming off a 5-2 loss on the road Friday against Providence, the Bobcats hosted the Pioneers from Sacred Heart and won 3-0. 

The first quarter began with Quinnipiac asserting early dominance. However, after the first few minutes, the quarter turned into a stalemate, with only short bursts of offense.

Just over halfway through the quarter, senior defender Amanda Funaro broke free and got a shot off, only missing the post by a few inches. With 5:50 left, freshman forward Emilia Massarelli led a charge and was just about to wind up for a shot when Pioneers sophomore goaltender Erin Burgess jumped in front and batted it away.

“We came out of the gate with a lot of intensity but unfortunately Sacred Heart was able to match us,” Quinnipiac head coach Becca Main said.

Entering the second quarter, it was the complete opposite as the Pioneers started off with the early momentum. 

With 12 minutes remaining, Bobcats junior forward Julianna Cappello took a ball directly off the wrist. As trainers tended to Cappello on the sideline, redshirt senior forward Brooke Whipkey jumped off the bench to fill her spot.

With just under five minutes to go until halftime, the Bobcats were knocking on the door trying to find a weak spot in the Pioneers defense. After making an initial shot, Massarelli picked up her own rebound and scored her fourth goal of the season, putting the Bobcats ahead 1-0. The Bobcats would carry that 1-0 lead into the locker room at halftime.

“Emma is one of the most talented players I’ve ever coached, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for her,” Main said.

As the third quarter began, it was evident, both in play style and body language, that Sacred Heart was playing with a purpose. For the majority of the quarter, the Pioneers had the Bobcats on their heels. 

However, with 9:19 to go in the quarter, it was once again Massarelli with the ball as she rocketed a shot past Burgess for her second goal of the game. 

Several poorly coordinated substitutions led to a bad defensive rotation by the Bobcats with 4:40 remaining, giving Sacred Heart a breakaway opportunity that was thwarted by a glove save from junior goaltender Mack Vorel. 

Going into the fourth quarter both coaches rallied the troops. 

“I told the girls to keep it simple and to take away the shooting lanes,” Main said

With 7:22 remaining, a poorly executed Bobcats pass gave Sacred Heart another breakaway opportunity. Unfortunately for the Pioneers, Vorel stretched out to make a pad save, keeping them off the board. 

Then with 5 minutes left, Bobcats junior forward Rachel Papernik was awarded a penalty shot. After an initial hesitation froze freshman goaltender Samantha Maresca, Papernik fired off a shot that found its way into the top left corner of the net, extending the Bobcats lead to 3-0. 

Try as they might there just wasn’t enough time for the Pioneers, as with this loss they finished the season 2-16. The Bobcats finished off their season with a record of 3-12. While it wasn’t the ideal season, all three of the Bobcats wins came in their last six games of the season.