HAMDEN, Conn – Quinnipiac women’s soccer dropped its final non-conference game of the season Sunday afternoon, falling to Princeton 4-2.
The Tigers’ upset over No. 10 Georgetown last week presented a challenge for Quinnipiac’s usual formation. The Bobcats played in a 5-2-3, using their outside backs as wings to cushion the defense.
“You can’t be wedded to one system,” Quinnipiac Head Coach Dave Clarke said.
In the early minutes of the game, senior goalkeeper Sophia Lospinoso kept the Bobcats alive by batting a Princeton free kick off the crossbar.
Quinnipiac’s momentum slowed as the Tigers dominated possession. Senior defender Madison Curry put Princeton on the board with a shot to the bottom right corner, past the diving Lospinoso.
The Bobcats’ 1-0 deficit was short lived when senior forward Courtney Chochol netted a penalty kick in the 23rd minute.
“We made them make mistakes. We made them solve problems,” Clarke said.
Mistakes weren’t enough to keep Princeton’s offense at bay. The Tigers roared back with a free kick goal from junior forward Heather MacNab — her ninth of the year. Two minutes later, sophomore midfielder Pietra Tordin planted the ball in the upper right corner of the net.
Princeton held a 3-1 lead at the half.
The Bobcats held their ground against the Tigers. Quinnipiac fell into a familiar groove, regaining momentum it lost in the first half. Although their runs were cut short by Princeton’s defense, the Bobcats battled.
Quinnipiac held the Tigers to one goal in the second half, scored by senior captain Jen Estes.
With less than ten minutes on the clock, freshman forward Evelyn Keay sliced the Tigers’ lead in half with her first collegiate goal. Despite Quinnipiac’s late efforts, Princeton walked away with the win.
“If we’re gonna play, we gotta test ourselves and I think we did that today,” Clarke said.
Keay’s goal did not go unnoticed.
“That one goal might be the difference between … winning the league and not winning the league,” Clarke said.
As non-conference play comes to a close, the Bobcats have their eyes on the MAAC.
“Everything is one game at a time,” Clarke said.
Quinnipiac returns to its home turf on Sept. 23 at noon to face Canisius.
