It’s been a rocky road for the Quinnipiac women’s lacrosse team.
Just a year ago, the program had its best season since 2011, winning 10 games and a MAAC quarterfinals win in what seemed like a turning point for the team.
Then, just seven weeks before the season, former head coach Tanya Kotowicz, “left the program.” Interim head coach Jordan Christopher was placed into the role that same day.
It’s been a different story in 2024, with only two wins up to this point. That said, the Bobcats aren’t going down without a fight.
Just take a look at the “Believe” sign hanging in their locker room.
“‘Ted Lasso’ is a big thing for us,” Christopher said. “We talk about the belief, we watched a video about it today.”
You don’t have to look any further than the Bobcats’ April 13 overtime loss to Iona to see that belief shining through. The 9-4 Gaels came into Hamden looking to roll over the second-to-last-place team in the MAAC, but instead found themselves in a fight.
Quinnipiac gave Iona everything it had, with junior midfielder EllaGrace Delmond striking with just four seconds remaining in regulation to force overtime. Ultimately, the Bobcats fell just under a minute into the extra frame when Iona senior attack Micaela FitzPatrick scored her fourth goal of the game.
Despite the loss, the Bobcats showed plenty of grit, a common theme with this group coming down the home stretch of the season.
“They’re fighters,” Christopher said. “They aren’t going to give up on anything and (have handled) adversity through everything. We’re finding all the bright spots we can in a season that definitely hasn’t gone our way.”
One of those bright spots is the squad’s competitiveness. In Quinnipiac’s last seven games it’s only lost by more than three goals once, a 17-5 loss to No. 23 Fairfield. While it may not be translating in the win column, it’s a positive sign nonetheless.
“They’re really an awesome group,” Christopher said. “The scores haven’t been a reflection of how good of a group this really is. I’m proud to coach them.”
Another silver lining for the Bobcats has been the play of junior goaltender Lindsay Mazzucco. The Fair Haven, New Jersey, native has been solid between the pipes this season, suiting up in 12 games so far. Mazzucco currently ranks third in the MAAC in saves-per-game with 8.25.
Even coming off the loss to Iona, Christopher was proud of the way Mazzucco bounced back after giving up some early goals.
“We talk to her a lot about flushing it and moving on to the next play,” Christopher said. “She showed up big time after those first couple (goals). Unfortunately, one goes in at the end that she is probably going to be thinking about for a while.”
Looking ahead, Quinnipiac needs a lot to happen for it to see postseason action. For now, it’ll have to focus on beating Siena on April 15 and Niagara on April 21 to close out the regular season.
“We actually rise to the occasion when we have better competition in front of us,” Christopher said. “I like that we are still playing the top of the conference at the end. It gives us a little extra fight, a little extra boost.”
Will the belief the Bobcats have turn into a miracle and land them a spot in the playoffs?
“We still have a fight to get ourselves into the playoffs, it helps keep the positivity,” Christopher said. “They believe in each other, they believe in themselves, they believe in what our plan is as a staff.”
If you ask them, they believe.
