HAMDEN, Conn – While the Quinnipiac women’s lacrosse team put up a valiant effort against a high-powered No. 21 Yale Bulldogs squad, it ultimately was not the Bobcats’ day Wednesday.

The Bulldogs stormed ahead to a 5-1 lead in the first quarter of play, with three goals coming off the stick of Yale sophomore attacker Jenna Collignon, two of them being unassisted. 

Even down 5-1, the Bobcats maintained a resilient energy, striking back a little over a minute into the second quarter. They cut the deficit to three off a heater from sophomore attacker Abby Wise, assisted by senior midfielder Emily Feeney with a strong drive down the middle.

Yale answered immediately with a goal of their own less than a minute later, but even down 6-2, the Bobcats were not going to go down without a fight.

Quinnipiac’s asphyxiating transition defense, combined with a stalwart effort in net by senior goalkeeper Kat Henselder, led to a scoreless 13 minutes for the Bulldogs in the second quarter. 

The Bobcats’ offense began to pick up steam, scoring two more goals in the frame off the sticks of senior midfielder Sophia Laccino and freshman attacker Mia Delmond.

Although still down, the Bobcats had all the momentum going into halftime. Quinnipiac played with an aggressive level of physicality against a seemingly bigger, stronger and faster team.

The Bobcats’ energy was palpable. No matter how large the deficit, the Quinnipiac bench was loud, proud and hyped up throughout the entire contest.

Another goal came from Bobcats’ graduate midfielder Maddie Deegan to open the third quarter to make it a one-goal deficit, but it was all Yale from there on out. 

The Bulldogs scored eight unanswered goals, with five coming in the third quarter alone, for a final score of 14-5 Yale.

Although Yale unloaded an onslaught of scoring on the Bobcats, the home squad had promising moments that they’ll look to build upon going forward.  

The 1-2 Bobcats will travel to UMass Lowell on March 1 to end their two game losing streak.