Quinnipiac women’s soccer keeps pace in its chase of the top spot in the MAAC with a 0-0 draw against Siena College on Wednesday afternoon.
The Bobcats, who at the time of publication share the top spot in regular season MAAC standings with Canisius and Sacred Heart, understood that to continue their standings surge, every point would matter.
Unfortunately for the Bobcats, the Siena Saints’ staunch defense would prove too much of a challenge, with Quinnipiac leaving two points on the table.
For both teams, the first half was quiet. Although Quinnipiac maintained a marginally greater possession in the opening 40 minutes, neither team was able to facilitate significant ball movement in the final attacking third. Many of the passes on both ends of the field lacked a target or were slightly off-line.
This issue would persist in both teams’ set pieces. Quinnipiac, which leads the conference in earned corners, would struggle mightily with sustaining enough pressure to secure them. With only three corner kicks in the first, Quinnipiac hardly had the opportunity to get shots on frame.
Whipping wind around Siena’s Hickey Field would only hurt both teams in facilitating an attack through the air.
Freshman defender Corey Anderson, whose placement on corners is normally sharp, was clearly affected by the environment, with multiple balls not entering the field of play.
Despite the scoring struggles, Quinnipiac’s defense would hold well, even as Siena made a mounting push in the final five minutes of the half. Countless Saints’ chip passes were negated by strong headers and timely blocks from the Quinnipiac backline. This stellar performance meant that graduate student goaltender Gwen Hoyt, making her first appearance since Quinnipiac faced Rider University on Sept. 6, would only need to make one save in the first.
However, Hoyt would step up in the second. Despite the limited number of chances on the Quinnipiac keeper, a sharp shot from the top of the penalty arc would prove Siena’s best. Hoyt would punch the ball away before the subsequent Saints’ corner would harmlessly veer out of play.
The second half would continue to be marred by Quinnipiac’s offensive struggles. Quinnipiac’s two best chances would come in the first ten minutes after half. Senior midfielder Molly Andrews would have the single best Bobcat attempt of the afternoon, nearly converting the rebound on a misplay by Siena’s sophomore goaltender Cate Burns. However, Burns would dive on the ball, with Andrews falling to the turf in the process, ending any chance of a Quinnipiac goal.
What remained frustrating was the lack of offense on the Quinnipiac side after the opportunity. Without the benefit of consistent crisp passes or the sustained pressure that the team had managed in the first half of the match, the young Bobcat squad replaced intensity with undisciplined physicality. The squad would rack up 10 fouls in the second half, in stark contrast to a measly two shots on goal.
However, the foul issues would prove not to be costly. The nill-nill score would hold, with both Siena and Quinnipiac escaping the contest with a point in MAAC standings.
Quinnipiac returns home to host its senior day against Saint Peter’s University on Oct. 4. Kickoff is set for 12 p.m.
