HAMDEN —The sunshine and rainbows before the Bobcats’ field hockey game Sunday should have hinted at how the day would go for Quinnipiac. But while the rainbows — visible only in the mist from the field’s water cannons — were artificial, the intensity of the Bobcats’ play was anything but.
Quinnipiac returned to the win column after a dominant 7-1 victory over the Merrimack Warriors. Led by freshman defender Francisca Eschoyez’s four-goal performance, the Bobcats secured their second win of the season in convincing fashion.
“I’m super proud of (Eschoyez),” head coach Nina Klein said. “She’s very poised in there, she’s a true competitor. She’s already showcasing some great leadership skills within the team.”
Penalty corner opportunities proved to be the difference, as Eschoyez’s first-quarter hat trick resulted from the Bobcats’ relentless pressure in front of Merrimack junior goaltender Isabelle Gardiner.
“We’ve been doing a lot of hard work with our attacking penalty corner,” Klein said. “We really wanted to make a statement with our attack transition today.”
And what a statement it was. With continued pressure in front of Merrimack’s net, the Bobcats were able to pile on to their three-goal lead in the second quarter with two goals from senior forward Lucia Pompeo, the latter a penalty stroke goal to make it 5-0.
Down by five to start the second half, Merrimack’s offensive struggles continued through the third quarter as the Warriors managed only one shot on Quinnipiac junior goaltender Cristina Torres, thanks to the Bobcats’ suffocating defense at midfield.
“Having that ability to press teams and really get on top of them and getting teams to cough up the ball is huge,” Klein said. “We want to be on transition and want to have turnovers.”
Eschoyez’s third-quarter goal, her fourth of the game, extended Quinnipiac’s lead to 6-0 heading into the final quarter.
“I think (Merrimack’s) defense was good,” Eschoyez said. “But they had some holes and I think we just got into those holes.”
Freshman midfielder Lucia Donati made it 7-0 in the fourth quarter, scoring off fellow freshman Martina Calveira’s fourth assist. It was Quinnipiac’s final goal of the day, but not the last goal of the game.
Merrimack’s freshman forward Gianna Cioni ended Quinnipiac’s shutout hopes with a goal off an assist from senior midfielder Julie Wester, making the final score 7-1.
“I still care deeply about our defensive side of the game. So still, giving up a goal is not where I want to be,” Klein said. “Overall, really proud of the effort and the intensity they showed today. They get seven in the back of the net.”
The Bobcats look to extend this win streak to two games when they host Providence on Sept. 20. at 3 p.m.
