Another day, another heartbreaking one-goal loss for Quinnipiac men’s lacrosse as the Bobcats fell Wednesday 7-6 to Manhattan.
The two sides were seemingly deadlocked for three quarters although both teams showed glimmers of offense, it was mainly a defensive struggle.
“Our defense and our goalie won that game for us,” Manhattan head coach Doug Sage said on the ESPN+ broadcast. “(Allowing) six goals against a great Quinnipiac team, that won us the game.”
The Bobcats could not take part in a defensive slugfest if they were going to win, and that’s exactly what happened.
Turnovers, penalties and missed shots.
Both MAAC rivals played excellent defense in the first quarter. But besides that, the performances by both teams were nothing alike.
Quinnipiac struggled on offense, unable to find a rhythm and just missing shots left and right. Manhattan graduate student goaltender Connor Hapward played well, but he really didn’t have to do much. Quinnipiac didn’t get a shot off in the cage until 18 minutes into the game.
Eighteen minutes … that’s 1,080 seconds of the game without a single shot even getting close to Manhattan’s net.
It’s not like Quinnipiac had much of an opportunity to attempt shots in the first place, the team could barely hold onto the ball. The navy and gold-clad players committed nine turnovers in the first quarter alone. That, combined with penalties, stalled any offensive momentum Quinnipiac may have mustered.
The man-up penalties did it no favors, when the Quinnipiac sideline continued to see that demoralizing yellow flag get thrown in the air by a referee, there was visible frustration. The Jaspers had a total of four extra man opportunities during the opening quarter.
Head coach Mason Poli and company made some adjustments in the second quarter, which saw mixed results for about 12 minutes of play.
Quinnipiac was able to get itself on the scoreboard when senior attacker Owen Murray delivered a strike from the inside to end the scoring drought.
With two minutes and change left in the first half, sophomore midfielder TJ Coffey swung a transition pass to junior long-stick midfielder Tommy Andruzzi, who lifted his stick in the air and delivered a striking blow to Hapwards net. An unlikely hero, Andruzzi’s game-tying shot etched him into Quinnipiac’s scoring ranks with his first goal as a Bobcat.
The offensive struggles that Quinnipiac experienced during the beginning of the contest seemed to seamlessly transfer over to the Jaspers, Manhattan was unable to score in the second quarter.
The difference? Saves.
Senior goaltender Mason Oak has continued to dominate on the defensive end for Quinnipiac. Nine saves in the first half alone helped the Bobcats stay in the game.
But following halftime, the Jaspers struck quickly to disrupt any momentum gained by Quinnipiac. Senior midfielder Kelly Dupree was finally able to get past Oak and give the lead right back to Manhattan just 90 seconds into the quarter.
The Jaspers weren’t done yet, sophomore midfielder Jack Miller hit his second goal of the game and the third of the season just a few minutes after Dupree’s. The Bobcats deficit now sat at two.
But none of that mattered during the opening minute of the final quarter. Quinnipiac got some much needed assistance at the right time. Sophomore attacker Nate Watson, who’s scored 16 goals this season added his 17th of the year to bring the Bobcats within a score.
Just a few seconds later, junior attacker Justin Robbert found himself inside Manhattan’s zone, pivoted off his backside and delivered an easy score for the Bobcats.
On the very next possession, Murray received a skip pass from sophomore midfielder Johnny Karafa and whipped a shot into the Jasper net.
Three goals in under 90 seconds … that’s how you get back into a ballgame. All of a sudden, Quinnipiac was up by one goal with 12 minutes and change remaining.
This game had three quarters of defensive-minded play which led to a stalemate on the scoreboard. The final quarter was anything but.
Manhattan responded with two goals of its own. The second of which saw sophomore attacker Connor Engel rip a straight-shot goal from the middle of the field, Oak just couldn’t react in time.
In a back-and-forth quarter, Quinnipiac was able to respond. Karafa dished out another dime, this time to Robbert who was easily able to find an opening in the Jasper net thanks to the excellent pass.
Scoring came easy for both teams after three quarters of offensive woes, as Manhattan junior midfielder Liam Peabody was able to get as close to the Bobcat net as possible and swing his stick right in front of Oak for the Jaspers’ seventh goal of the contest.
The last 30 seconds of the contest spelt nothing but disaster for Quinnipiac. Down one goal, on the Jaspers side of the field, Quinnipiac had one shot to tie the ballgame.
Graduate student midfielder Trevor Douglas was in prime position to attempt a shot at the net, but two Jasper defenders stripped the ball. The loose ball was picked up by Watson, who attempted to deliver a shot but was blocked by Manhattan. The blocked shot fell into the stick of Jasper sophomore defenseman Mathew Pantorno who launched the ball to Manhattan’s side of the field and iced the game.
Frank Sinatra’s “(Theme From) New York, New York” began playing from Manhattan’s speakers as the game came to an end. Sinatra’s famous line “start spreading the news” boomed into the ears present at Gaelic Park as the Jaspers started to celebrate, and Quinnipiac lined up in a huddle of despair.
Quinnipiac will look to get back on track as the Bobcats travel back to Hamden to take on Iona on March 29. Face-off is set for 3 p.m.
