With its 2-1 win against the Merrimack Warriors Saturday afternoon, Quinnipiac women’s soccer increased its MAAC point-scoring streak to five, remaining undefeated in conference play this season. 

For Quinnipiac, the main objective of the day was taking advantage of a Merrimack squad whose season thus far has been plagued by immense inconsistency in all three facets of the game. 

Having joined the MAAC only two seasons ago, Merrimack’s lack of experience at the Division I level was something that Quinnipiac needed to capitalize on from start to finish.

In the opening minutes of play, it seemed that Quinnipiac would successfully follow through. Despite not converting, the Bobcats were able to sustain significant pressure on Merrimack’s freshman goaltender Addie Israel in her first career start, and control the pace of play in the opening frame. 

That pressure would pay off in the 30th minute. A failed clearance by the Warriors would bounce right to the foot of freshman forward Isabella Torelli. The subsequent give-and-go with senior forward Morgan Cupo would distract the Merrimack backline enough to free up the touch pass to sophomore forward Addyson Earl. 

Even though she made the initial save, the ball dribbled past Israel for Earl’s first goal of her collegiate career. 

The initial score seemed to settle both squads down, with neither team maintaining significant ball control. Even as the match continued and the pressure from Merrimack began to mount, Quinnipiac’s defense would hold. Strong clears by the Bobcat centerbacks, freshman Audrey Lefebvre and junior Bianca D’Onofrio would keep the Warriors goalscorers silent 

However despite the strong efforts, the Quinnipiac defense couldn’t bend forever. Merrimack’s freshman midfielder Kylie Fuller would tuck a shot past Quinnipiac’s sophomore goaltender Olivia Jarvis, erasing the Bobcat lead in the 78th minute. 

However, Quinnipiac would continue its streak of executing in the clutch. For the fourth game in a row, the Bobcats would score in the final ten minutes. 

This time, the hero would be senior forward Morgan Cupo. Her arching shot from the edge of the penalty area would be the game’s winner, lifting the Bobcats season record to 2-3-3

Quinnipiac will continue its MAAC play on the road in Loudonville, N.Y, taking on Siena University on Oct. 1. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m.