HAMDEN, Conn — Quinnipiac field hockey bounced back from a two-game losing streak and capped off Bobcat Weekend with a 2-0 non-conference shutout over the Maine Black Bears Sunday.

The hero for the Bobcats was sophomore goaltender Cristina Torres, her 11-save shutout leading Quinnipiac to its fifth victory of the season.

“I just trust (Torres),” Quinnipiac head coach Nina Klein said.

Maine dominated possession early in the first quarter, but it was Quinnipiac who struck first. Graduate student forward Sophia Pompeo received a pass off sophomore forward Cameron Brower’s stick to give the Bobcats an early lead.

“It was good to get on the board again,” Pompeo said. 

The Black Bears had numerous opportunities to hack at the Bobcats’ lead. Quinnipiac had a slew of passes intercepted by Maine’s attack, but it could not find the net. 

It was Torres who kept the Bobcats alive. The Barcelona native was the knife in Maine’s back, stabbing every opportunity that the Black Bears could muster. 

“The pressure was on,” Torres said. “We have to win in our house when we have all our fans here.”

Minutes into the second quarter, Brower found Pompeo for the second time, passing the ball into the middle. Pompeo fired past — and extended Quinnipiac’s lead to two. 

The Providence transfer scored her fourth and fifth goals of the season on Sunday.

“We made ourselves promise we weren’t going to lose two games in a weekend the rest of the season,” Pompeo said.

The Black Bears stayed aggressive and continued to get penalty corners, but of course, Torres was there to halt Maine’s chances to equalize the match.

“I just have to think about where the ball is and just keep it out of the net,” Torres said.

With a 2-0 lead heading into the second half, Quinnipiac doubled down to keep Maine out of its offensive zone. The Bobcats and the Black Bears shared possession in the remaining quarters, but the score was set in stone. 

Quinnipiac’s defense was solid, but Torres was a wall. As the chance of a shutout came closer, Torres told herself to “keep going.” 

At the game’s final whistle, Maine was scoreless. From penalty corners to one-on-one matchups, Torres blocked every shot.

“It’s going to be fun to look back and have a little highlight reel today,” Klein said.

Quinnipiac may celebrate Sunday’s win, but it has much to prepare for next Friday. 

“Defense wins championships,” Klein said. 

The Bobcats look to defend their turf when they host Big East opponent Liberty under the Sleeping Giant on Oct. 13 at 1 p.m.