HAMDEN – Quinnipiac women’s soccer defeated Canisius 3-1 on Thursday afternoon, sending it to the MAAC championship for the third consecutive season and bringing hopes of a three-peat to Hamden.
The No. 2 Bobcats and No. 3 Golden Griffins went head-to-head, hungry to punch their ticket to the final.
In the end, it was Quinnipiac who controlled offensive play, sending 14 shots at the net to Canisius’ seven, which head coach Dave Clarke attributes to the style of play he encourages.
“You gotta play forward, think forward, run forward, press forward, not let them in,” Clarke said.
While Quinnipiac took the three opportunities given, Canisius used its fast playmaking ability and skilled footwork to get through the first 45 minutes unscathed. It was the second half that brought trouble for the Golden Griffins.
Things looked quite the opposite for Quinnipiac. It maintained the dominant defense that sent it to three-straight conference championships, limiting Canisius’ ability to generate offensive opportunities with high pressure.
On rushes in the Bobcats’ defensive zone, graduate student goaltender Sofia Lospinoso was stellar. Whether it was throwing her body out to swat the ball away with a slide tackle or her clears down the field, Lospinoso held down the fort for her team.
“We had to match that intensity up there,” Clarke said.“We wanted to get in their faces, win the tackles in the 50/50, win the battles and then let our quality on the ball.”
Going into the second half scoreless, the Bobcats were prepared to bring their all to the turf.
“We knew that we had momentum going,” graduate student forward Courtney Chochol said. “We came out hard, and we knew that they were tired and that’s going to kick in eventually.”
Chochol got the Bobcats on the board first, firing a rocket from outside the box to the right corner, just far enough out of reach for Canisius senior goaltender Jordan Spencer.
Quinnipiac came alive after that initial goal — specifically senior midfielder Aisling Spillane. The Dublin, Ireland native continued her scoring streak from the quarterfinals against Iona and netted two more in the Bobcats’ victory.
Despite a two-goal deficit, Canisius did not back down — prompting aggressive and high-intensity play throughout. Each team registered 11 fouls and two yellow cards. But for the Golden Griffins, getting emotional didn’t change the course of the match.
“We played our game and I don’t think anyone could beat us when we play our game,” Spillane said.
Quinnipiac will face off in the MAAC championship on Nov. 10 with its opponent, location and time TBA.
