HAMDEN, Conn – On senior day Saturday afternoon, the Quinnipiac women’s soccer team destroyed Saint Peter’s 8-0. The Bobcats were propelled by a hat trick from senior midfielder Emely van der Vliet and a multi-point game by senior forward Courtney Chochol. With the victory, Quinnipiac moves to a perfect 9-0 in conference play.
“Today was just amazing, we really are like a family,” van der Vliet said. “I knew I wanted to go to a program that wins championships, I never knew it was going to be like this. I honestly couldn’t be more proud of this team… There was doubt when I was in the transfer portal if I could do this, but I’m glad I finally flourished.”
The Bobcats wasted no time in marking their authority on the game. 10 minutes in, graduate student forward Lily Schnieders found the back of the net, following a well-executed corner kick delivered by senior midfielder Anna Hartzheim.
In the 25th minute, Quinnipiac further established its offensive dominance. van der Vliet scored the first of her trio of goals, beating junior goalkeeper Annabelle Adams after a pinpoint cross from Chochol.
“Once we got the second goal, they started to play with a lot more freedom,” head coach Dave Clarke said.
As the first half was drawing to a close, Quinnipiac once again found the back of the net. Freshman forward Evelyn Keay added to the scoreline in the 45th minute after a mesmerizing moment of team passing, with Ana Carlos and Milena Branco setting her up, both earning assists on the goal.
The goal sent the Bobcats to the locker room with a 3-0 lead and an 11-1 shot advantage.
The second half saw no reprieve for Saint Peter’s. In the 48th minute, a defensive lapse by the Peacocks resulted in senior forward Olivia Kudrikow capitalizing on a loose ball. Drawing out Adams, she tapped the ball to Chochol who netted an easy goal, taking the score to 4-0.
As the game seemed to be drawing to a close with a 5-0 scoreline, the Bobcats showcased just how ruthless they are.
In the 87th minute, Chochol turned provider, picking out junior midfielder Rachel Roman with a perfect cross. Roman made no mistake, recording her first goal of the season and Chochol’s second assist of the match.
van der Vliet completed her hat trick with a goal in the final minute, tapping in a rebound off a penalty kick to cap off an individual performance she will remember for years to come.
“After the second goal I was like, okay it’s possible,” van der Vliet said. “This season it doesn’t matter who scores, this season, every goal we score, the whole team does it. Honestly, I wanted Rose to score, I didn’t know she was behind me, but after the PK, I was just trying to get it in.”
Kudrikow, who had been searching for a senior day goal all afternoon, finally found it in the dying seconds of the match. The Massachusetts native scored from just inside the box, for her first goal of the season.
“It was actually the best moment that I could have imagined,” Kudrikow said. “Over my four years it’s been such a crazy road, and being able to do it with this group is something that I will remember for the rest of my life.”
The final whistle confirmed a resounding 8-0 victory for the Bobcats, who outshot the Peacocks 21-1 over the course of the game.
Quinnipiac will cap off its regular season on Oct. 25 when it travels to New York to square off with Manhattan, looking to finish the regular season a perfect 10-0 in conference play.
“We need to win,” van der Vliet said. “Anything other than getting that 10-0 is not good enough. We are just too good to not go 10-0.”
