Quinnipiac women’s soccer secured its third win in a row Saturday afternoon, kicking off MAAC play with a 4-0 performance against Niagara, which fell to the Bobcats in the conference title game a season ago.
The win boosts the Bobcats’ all-time record against Niagara to a favorable 8-3-1 with all eight victories coming consecutively, dating back to Oct. 14, 2017.
Quinnipiac started the match with the intensity that head coach Dave Clarke has been preaching this season. Bobcat midfielders and defenders were quick to react and put pressure on the Purple Eagles’ touches right out of the gate.
Sophomore midfielder Madison Alves and graduate midfielder Markela Bejleri were everywhere on the pitch. Their ability to cover ground and take away space was key in taking away the neutral zone from the Purple Eagles.
Clarke’s squad was able to keep their composure in this one, not allowing the chippiness of Niagara affect their play. Niagara were whistled eleven times to Quinnipiac’s five.
The Bobcats offense was scorching, carrying over from last match’s 5-0 win over Stonehill. Quinnipiac peppered a staggering 26 shots, 15 on target.
Senior forward Courtney Chochol opened the scoring in the 25th minute for her second goal of the season. She led the Bobcats with seven shot attempts and five shots on goal.
Chochol has seemingly assumed the primary shooting role for Quinnipiac on the young season, with last season’s top scorer Rebecca Cooke now at Penn St. She leads the roster with twelve shots on goal and has proven to be a threat whenever the ball is at her feet.
Just two minutes before halftime, Bejleri capitalized on a scoring opportunity to extend Quinnipiac’s lead to 2-0.
The Bobcats kept the high pressure coming in the second half, making it difficult for Niagara to get anything going on offense.
Quinnipiac senior goalkeeper Sofia Lospinoso had a quiet day, facing just one shot on goal. Lospinoso collected her second shutout of the season.
The Bobcats had the advantage, but they weren’t done quite yet.
Senior defender Victoria Foster tallied her first goal of this campaign in the 58th minute. Junior defender Madison Mandleur was credited with the assist, her first of the season.
In the 67th minute, sophomore defender Molly Andrews added one more insurance goal to seal the deal for the Bobcats. This was also Andrews’ first score of the season.
During the Bobcats’ three-game win streak, the team has scored 11 goals and only conceded one.
The Bobcats look to keep their offense hot with a home matchup against Princeton on Sept. 17 at noon.
