Despite Wednesday’s contest falling in the middle of a school week with classes now in full swing, the Quinnipiac men’s soccer team did not falter as it won its second straight game, winning 5-0 today against Sacred Heart.

Sacred Heart put on a strong attack to start the game, making the first ten minutes of the game already difficult for the Bobcats. Its offense started aggressive, forcing sophomore defensive backs Sander Sonsterud and freshman defenseman Luke Schierenbeck to pull their weight.

The Bobcats did not fall behind though, and the score was opened in the 16th minute by captain and senior forward David Bercedo, who shot his fourth goal of the season. The assists went to senior forward Tomas Svecula and freshman defender Alexander Stjernegaard.

That same trio raised the score 2-0 for the Bobcats, with Stjernegaard netting his first collegiate goal on the play.

As it goes, scoring two goals less than two minutes apart visibly raised the confidence of Quinnipiac, while frustration slowly started to bubble on the opponent’s side. Sacred Heart attempted its first shot on net five minutes after Stjernegaard’s goal, resulting in the first of their few attempts, all unsuccessful. Another blow to the Pioneer’s morale came when sophomore defender Nick Kirby received a yellow card following a foul.

While the first half ended in success for the Bobcats, the Pioneers returned to the field after halftime not even slightly demotivated. They continued their advancing pressure, losing sight of any frustration previously seen.

However, Sacred Heart’s best efforts weren’t enough, as near the 60th minute Bobcats graduate student midfielder Alex Holle, raised the score to 3-0. Following in his footsteps, a senior forward Slovak Tomáš Svečula scored his third goal of the season from a penalty kick, thanks to Kirby receiving a red card.

“I feel like it’s not as about me, it’s about the team,” Svecula said. “I’m glad that I’m able to help the team with the goals and the performance, but it’s all about the team, how we train and how we prepare for the games. We just have to keep improving.”

Thanks to the huge lead, the players on the bench saw some real minutes on the field, or rather, they earned them, as head coach Eric Da Costa described.

“Players get on the field because they’ve earned it, throughout the course of the month, so every player that got in earned it.” Da Costa said. “It’s not just about how hard you work, it’s about whether you can step on the field and be trusted to play the way we play. And I think every guy who went on the field today did that.”

The final goal of the game came when sophomore midfielder Ole Frigstad scored his first goal of the season, earning the Bobcats a win over Sacred Heart 5-0.

With their heads raised high, Quinnipiac will play its next game against Harvard on Sept. 17, before returning to its den to face Stonehill on Sept. 21.