The regular season came to end underneath the Sleeping Giant for the Quinnipiac women’s soccer, with a 2-0 win against the Manhattan Jaspers.
The Bobcats entered with the chance to remain undefeated in MAAC play. The unbeaten MAAC slate would be a microcosm of the dominance of the Bobcats this season, and a crystal ball into what the future could hold.
The Bobcats had an opportunity to play spoiler as Manhattan held the sixth and final playoff spot in the MAAC conference and would clinch postseason soccer with a win.
The scoring started quick for the Bobcats as an unforced error by Jasper’s junior goalkeeper Molly Brunk allowed senior forward Morgan Cupo to score, just four minutes and thirteen seconds into the matchup. The goal was number eleven for Cupo on the season, leading the team, and placing her second in the conference.
Other than the instant offense, the remainder of the game was completely dominated by suffocating defenses that allowed neither team to break a long run. Senior defenseman Madison Alves didn’t fill up the stat sheet, but her play was phenomenal in preventing any opportunities for the Jaspers to score.
The team was battling for field position before sophomore forward Addyson Earl was able to break the scoreless streak in minute 87.
“I feel like I really fit in with this team,” Earl said. “I have seen myself turn… to an extrovert.”
Earl has found a home on the left flank of the Quinnipiac attack. She scored the second of the two goals for the Bobcats in the afternoon. A cross from senior forward Molly Andrews set up a fantastic opportunity for Earl to score her second goal of her first season as a Bobcat.
The Bobcats were able to score on Brunk, despite her recent Defensive Player of the Week award. She accumulated seven saves off 11 shots faced in the Jaspers’ 4-0 win over Merrimack on Saturday. Brunk compiled her seventh clean sheet of the season, extending upon the program record she broke two weeks ago against Marist.
The same was not true for Brunk against the Bobcats in Hamden this week.
In today’s matchup, her counterpart, sophomore goalkeeper Olivia Jarvis turned away five shots that were on target, and seven more that weren’t. The clean sheet performance was her third of the season as she lifted Quinnipiac to their fourth straight win to end the season.
However, the sturdy defense of the Bobcats doesn’t end with Jarvis. You can’t name any one player that shined in the shutout, but the back line consistently flew around the field and seemingly didn’t allow any Jasper to take multiple touches before being smothered or passing.
The puzzle piece of the Quinnipiac Bobcats fit perfectly to create a dominant statement to end MAAC play. From a sturdy defense to a foundational offense, the team has a lot to be proud of as they enter the playoffs. Still, the team strives for more.
“Practice is going to be to fix the things we didn’t do well today,” Earl said.
Looking forward, Quinnipiac has true championship aspirations. Thanks to a boost from an unbeaten MAAC slate, the Bobcats have clinched a first round bye and will head straight to the semifinals on Nov. 6.
