HAMDEN — “It’s awesome.”
Those two simple words from senior goaltender Evan Minter seemed to be the only words anyone on Quinnipiac men’s lacrosse could echo after the team’s 14-8 Senior Day victory over Mount St. Mary’s Saturday afternoon.
“It feels great,” sophomore attacker Nate Watson said. “First one that I’ve been playing in, so it feels like a weight off our shoulders.”
It’s not that the Bobcats haven’t played well recently. A ranked win preceding their last contest as well as better all-around play from the Bobcats, signalled a shift, with the senior class helping to lead that organizational change.
“Those guys have continued to set the standard for Quinnipiac lacrosse, and now we finally see some results,” head coach Mason Poli said.
It was evident from the opening minutes of the game, where for the first five minutes, the Bobcats held complete and total control over the Mountaineers. It started with senior face-off specialist/midfielder Max Pauwels, who set the tone early with two quick face-off wins that attackers junior Cole Marsala and freshman Duncan Zielke would capitalize on to give the Bobcats a two-goal lead.
Two more Bobcat goals, from leading scorer Watson and senior Ethan McGerald, pushed Quinnipiac’s lead to four. The defense also remained airtight, allowing just one goal in the opening quarter for just the second time all season.
However, Mount St. Mary’s wasn’t going to stay out of it for long. A goal on the man-up was followed quickly by another score from the Mountaineers’ leading scorer, senior attacker Kevin Whitty to put the game within one before the Bobcats even held possession in the second quarter.
“I call them two goal swings,” Poli said. “We prevent them, and we add one, so it’s kind of a two-goal separator.”
The Bobcats, in typical fashion, battled.
It started with capitalizing on clears. A successful clear attempt by Miner after a save went right to the stick of senior long stick midfielder/defender Tommy Andruzzi later in the quarter, eliciting the biggest roar of the Senior Day crowd when he took it in himself for the score.
The goal, Andruzzi’s first of the season, seemed to click the Bobcats into a different gear for the rest of the quarter.
“We want to play fast, and it starts as soon as the ball hits the ground,” Poli said.
Quinnipiac also thrived by spreading the scoring, even beyond just the offense, finding goals from seemingly everywhere on the field.
“(Freshman midfielder) Luke Byman got involved, as well, so to get three goals out of the defensive unit was massive,” Poli said. “That’s how you’re able to separate and give that cushion.”
That cushion would stay with the Bobcats even as the half concluded, with Quinnipiac holding its largest halftime lead of the season, up 10-6.
In the third, one senior in particular would make his mark for the Bobcats, nearly single-handedly keeping Quinnipiac in the game when its offense had run completely dry. Miner’s 16 saves on 24 shots, including six saves alone in the third quarter, helped secure the Bobcats’ third MAAC victory.
“It’s a great experience, great to finally be able to play and show off what I’m able to do,” Miner said.
For the Santa Monica, California native, his senior season is the first time he’s started more than a single game. It’s an opportunity he has run with, securing three wins in six starts and earning MAAC Defensive Player of the Week.
“(Miner) didn’t have an expectation to come in, but he’s come in,” Watson said. “He’s been a brick wall in there….so having him come in has just been awesome.”
Miner’s efforts kept the Bobcats up four in the final frame, before the offense finished the job. Zielke’s first collegiate hat-trick and Watson’s seventh of the season put the game on ice.
“I always think our team’s going to win,” Watson said. “I try not to focus on the goals and just let them come to me.”
The victory improves the Bobcats’ MAAC record to 3-3, good for fifth in the standings and holding on to the final playoff spot with two conference games remaining. Quinnipiac will look to keep that spot in the MAAC Tournament Saturday, April 18, where they will take on the Iona Gaels. Face-off is set for 2 p.m.
