The Quinnipiac men’s soccer team picked up an important three points as it dominated Mount St. Mary’s on Wednesday to move back into second place in the MAAC table. 

A staple of the Bobcats’ scheme for the entire season has been to score early and then hold that lead for the rest of the game, and they did just that today, scoring two goals in the first five minutes. 

Quinnipiac got on the board first when senior forward David Bercedo fired a shot that was saved by Mount St. Mary’s junior goalkeeper Ethan Russell. However, Russell couldn’t do anything to stop the rebound, and graduate midfielder Noah Silverman fired it into the net. 

Two minutes later, Silverman found the back of the net again as he tracked down a through ball and then sent a shot towards the goal that was tipped by Russell before it bounced over the white line for a 2-0 Quinnipiac lead. 

The Bobcats were stout on the defensive end throughout the match, holding Mount St. Mary’s to just two shots on goal. 

Down 2-0 early, the Mountaineers were already digging their own grave with the two first half goals, but they decided to close the coffin when graduate student midfielder Ammit Bhogal was sent off for a rough tackle in the 31st minute, giving Quinnipiac a man advantage for the rest of the match. 

The Bobcats took advantage of the red card, scoring just four minutes into the second frame. Senior forward Tomas Svecula found himself on a breakaway with one Mount St. Mary’s defender trying to keep both Bercedo and himself away from the goal. 

The defenders’ sliding efforts didn’t help, as Svecula blasted a shot that was too strong for Russell, who watched the ball fly into the Mountaineers’ net for a 3-0 Quinnipiac lead.

Next, it was Bercedo’s turn to get in on the fun. The MAAC scoring leader made the Quinnipiac lead four as he chipped a shot over the sliding goalkeeper for his 11th goal of the year. And not to be outdone, Svecula wasn’t done yet, notching his second goal of the game in the 68th minute. 

The talent gap between the two teams became very clear over the course of the second half, as Quinnipiac continued to beat Mount St. Mary’s to 50/50 balls, keep possession and out-hustle the host Mountaineers. 

The victory catapults the Bobcats back into second place in the MAAC as they continue to push for a first-round bye in the conference tournament.

The Bobcats currently trail Manhattan for first place in the conference by a single point with two games remaining. Quinnipiac will return home to play Canisius on Saturday, Oct. 29, at 3 p.m.