Quinnipiac men’s soccer has done it. In its Wednesday night matchup against the Merrimack Warriors, the Bobcats exorcised a demon that has haunted them since the 2025 campaign started. In the most important game of the season, the Bobcats managed three points on the road.
Finally.
But for the Bobcats, this win is much more than a moral victory for a squad laying their season to rest. Despite coming into this game with only one point in its games away from Hamden, Quinnipiac held playoff aspirations. A 3-2 victory against the Merrimack Warriors would make this aspirations a reality, punching the Bobcats tickets to the MAAC tournament for the second straight season.
The Bobcats road record coming into the matchup, an abysmal 0-7-1, has been a point of contention throughout the season, and was an issue that the Bobcat side needed to overcome in the final matchup of the season.
The Bobcats dominant MAAC win against Niagara University set up a simple scenario for the Bobcats. Any result but a victory for Niagara or a loss by Manhattan on the final day of conference play would propel Quinnipiac into one of the final two tournament spots.
As long as it could win.
At the start, it seemed like the Bobcats were already on the way to a playoff berth. Both Niagara and Manhattan failed to score in the opening half of its respective matchup. Everything was going to plan.
Until minute 37.
Graduate student midfielder Nicolo Vallocchia would capitalize on a disorganized Bobcat defense that was reeling from a Warrior’s cross. The shot pinballed off the hands of graduate student goaltender Matthew Pisani, and Vallocchia would rifle a shot on the ground to put Merrimack up one.
Valocchia’s strike, which shortened the Bobcat season from being measured in games to being measured in minutes, would go unmatched for the rest of the first half. Despite the scores holding across the MAAC, it was time for the Bobcats to prove what they were made of.
This wasn’t uncharted territory for the Bobcat side. Last season, Quinnipiac was singing a similar tune late last year. A tough start to the 2024 season ended in a MAAC playoff appearance after a stunning three game win streak in conference play had the squad sneak into the sixth seed for the tournament.
Senior captain, midfielder Alex Miller, knows that story well and had no doubts that his team could recreate a similar clutch performance this season.
“A few more games together, a few more three points, and we’re going to be there before we know. Just like last season,” Miller said on Oct. 25.
Miller would do his part to push the Bobcats there in this contest. After an initially unsuccessful set-piece deep in the Merrimack defensive-half, Miller was in the right place at the right time to put the ball back on frame. A lack of rebound control by sophomore goaltender Jack Mancaniello would allow senior defender Luke Schierenbeck to bury the second chance opportunity for a season-saving tying goal.
The score would make a playoff berth possible, but not plausible for the Quinnipiac side. Without a win, the Bobcats would be at the mercy of Niagara losing its matchup to Canisius, tournament destiny solely determined by the Purple Eagles.
Just over two minutes later, the Bobcats would rip their destiny right back. In a nearly identical play, a Quinnipiac shot on a breakaway would slam into Mancaniello’s hands, ricocheting back into the penalty area. This time it was junior forward Benjamin Telle who found the open net to push Quinnipiac into a provisional playoff position.
All momentum had swung in the Bobcats favor, and a successful penalty kick by sophomore forward Sivert Ryssdalsnes would put the game away.
Even though Merrimack would score a goal in the final 15 minutes, putting the pressure on the Bobcats defense, Quinnipiac was able to pull through.
Although the flashy scoring powered Quinnipiac to the victory, the efforts by Pisani, especially in the final five, cannot be understated. His seven saves kept the Bobcats hopes alive, especially in the slow opening half.
The other big take away, besides at least one more game of Quinnipiac men’s soccer this season, was the discipline the team displayed against the Warriors. Two fouls to Merrimack’s 18 was the difference maker in the contest, especially with the Bobcats ability to convert on both free-kicks and penalty-kicks in clutch moments during the contest.
The No. 6 Bobcats will return to the field for the first round of the MAAC tournament on Nov. 9, travelling to New Rochelle, N.Y. to take on No. 3 Iona University. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.
