HAMDEN, Conn – The Quinnipiac field hockey team faced off against No. 24 Penn for the first time in program history as the Bobcats were able to pull off a 2-0 win on Sunday.

Quinnipiac came into this matchup with a 5-11 record and just two home wins in its last five games. However, the Bobcats stunned the field hockey world as they pulled off the upset against the Quakers.

The seniors and graduate students were honored before the game for senior day, and it seemed like that energy translated into the game as the seniors had a huge impact. They had great transitions from offense to defense and kept their composure through a match that was paused multiple times for fouls and reviewable plays. 

Although the first half showcased some sluggish offensive attacks from both teams, the Bobcats came out hot during the second half. Senior midfielder Eva Veldhorst got the Bobcats on the board during the third quarter with a shot buried into the bottom right corner of the net.  

Sophomore forward Emilia Massarelli scored the final goal during the end of the fourth quarter, notching her ninth tally of the season.

The defense did their job as freshman goalkeeper Cristina Torres had four saves and recorded her third shutout of the season .

The weather seemed to play a factor more in the second half as it was clear skies in the first half compared to the rainfall during the 3rd and 4th quarters.. However, it seemed like the rain helped both teams rather than hurt them, as all the points that were scored during the game occurred in the second half.

Massarelli was all over the field making play after play and capped off her performance with the previously mentioned fourth quarter goal.

“I thought it was just beautiful hockey,” head coach Becca Main said. “We played really, really well … we stuck to the game plan and it was a great 60 minute effort to get things done, really excited.”

Massarelli matched her coach’s excitement and how she thought the team played against the Quakers, who are now riding a two-game losing streak.

“We played really well, during the last seven minutes we were nervous and we couldn’t pass the ball but we came up with it, we took the game back,” Massarelli said.

Sunday’s victory was Quinnipiac’s second win against a ranked opponent this season, as the Bobcats beat then-No. 22 Maine on Sept. 4. Today was the program’s third win over a nationally ranked team since 2016, the same year the Bobcats joined the Big East conference. 

The Bobcats improve to 6-11 on the season as they will take on Providence at home on Friday, Oct. 28, at 3 p.m.