NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. — Playoff lacrosse is a different beast. Quinnipiac men’s lacrosse knows that better than most, having experienced how gutsy and hard-nosed MAAC Tournament lacrosse can be after pulling off a comeback against Canisius in the first round last season. It’s unpredictable.
“We told the boys heading into the game we have to be ready to win any type of game, ” Quinnipiac head coach Mason Poli told ESPN+.
Little did the Bobcats know that in their 14-12 loss to Merrimack in the MAAC Tournament Sunday afternoon, they would need to manage to play well in both.
For the No.5 Bobcats, the result matched the typical tune of Bobcat lacrosse in recent years. Success is close — but just out of reach.
It started in the first. The normally staunch Bobcat defense, which causes the most turnovers per game in the MAAC at 8.87, started the game ice cold. Three straight possessions by the Warriors found the back of the Bobcat net within the first three minutes.
“Defensively, we came out and kind of played a little panicked,” Poli said. “Kind of felt like playoff lacrosse.”
From that first 3-0 stretch, the Bobcats were in a do-or-die position, clawing back slowly into the contest as the quarter continued. It took nearly six minutes for the Bobcat offense to pull the score even, with senior attacker Justin Robbert netting a pair and leading-scorer junior attacker Nate Watson scoring his first of the afternoon to tie it up.
The period would end with Merrimack and Quinnipiac trading goals, ending the opening period with a 5-4 Warriors lead.
The Bobcats found them in a similar situation heading into the second quarter. Merrimack once again dominated possession to start the quarter, building back up its three goal lead from the first quarter.
“I think you notice it with everyone on the d-end kinda played a little bit with deer in headlights,” Poli said to ESPN+
But just like in the past, this Bobcat team isn’t one to go down without a fight. The resilient Quinnipiac side began to battle back into the contest. An unassisted goal by junior midfielder/attacker Johnny Karafa cut the Warriors’ lead to two before Bobcats’ leading scorer junior attacker Nate Watson put the game within one.
In tandem with the offense finding its groove, timely stops by Miner seemed to be the difference maker, even as the Bobcats found no answer to the Merrimack attack. Three saves on seven shots doesn’t appear to be a game-changing stat line, but Miner’s key stops not only facilitated the Bobcat offense on the other end of the field when senior face-off specialist Max Pauwels struggled at the dot, but set the tone for the Santa Monica, Calif. native’s best performance as a Bobcat.
A point-blank save on Merrimack’s junior attacker Colin Kruger facilitated a fast-break for the Bobcats offense that tied the game for the second time, with Watson once again proving to be the driving force behind Quinnipiac’s scoring, earning his third assist and fifth point on the afternoon.
“It was nice to see the offense respond and kind of make up for some of our defensive flaws in that first half,” Poli said.
The Warriors and Bobcats would finish out the quarter in a similar fashion to the first. Quinnipiac took its first lead of the afternoon as Watson secured his ninth hat trick of the season.
“(He is) just able to contribute in every aspect of the offense, whether its him dominating the ball, off-ball, creating opportunities for other players,” Poli said. “He did a great job.”
But even with Watson and the rest of the Bobcat attack’s efforts, the defensive unit just couldn’t stop the Merrimack attack. Particularly right after goals to tie or lead the game, Merrimack was quick to put pressure right on the Bobcat defense, stopping Quinnipiac’s momentum.
The message at halftime was simple.
“We told them at halftime we just have to go in and trust ourselves,” Poli said.
It’s been the message all year for the Bobcats. Play their way, and results will come. It’s how the team got to that position at halftime, tied 9-9 with a chance to go to the MAAC second round on the line.
It’s a message that the Miner took to heart in net. After a first half that left room for improvement in net, the senior goalkeeper stood on his head in the second half. As the Merrimack defense stifled the Bobcats through the third quarter, holding the visiting squad to just one goal, Miner stood on his head, stopping eight of eleven to keep the game in hand.
“To see him finally get that opportunity in game and really shine, we’re excited,” Poli said. “We’re hoping he has another year here.”
However, despite Miner holding his own in net, all the offensive firepower from the opening half had gone cold. The Bobcats were now in the midst of a grinding defensive effort, where Merrimack seemed to have the upper hand.
“Kudos to them, they made some adjustments, kind of slowed us down on offense,” Poli said. “We should have just kept playing with some speed, some tempo, attacking their poles and changed the way we attacked.”
Even when the Bobcats were able to maintain enough possession to try and penetrate the Warriors’ defense, stout play from sophomore goalkeeper Jaden Galfano meant more often than not, pressure in the offensive end was one-and-done.
By the final frame, it was too little to late for the Bobcats. Commanding a 12-10 lead, Merrimack scored two quick goals to start the fourth quarter with its largest lead of the contest. The Bobcats would manage to get a goal back with just over five minutes remaining in the game, which could’ve been the start to the third Bobcat comeback of the afternoon, but it was too little too late. The Bobcats scoreless spell would last till the final fifteen seconds of the game, where freshman attacker AJ Amandolare would score the final goal of the 2026 Quinnipiac men’s lacrosse season.
“This is day 120 that we’ve been together this year,” Poli said. “We put a lot of blood, sweat and tears together.”
It’s a Bobcat culture of team trust that started with the outgoing class that Poli aims to continue moving forward.
“They did a phenomenal job when we were in the middle of the season, and (the team was) looking a little bit like the previous year,” Poli said. “They did a great job of being kind of steadfast … getting the guys to buy in and giving everybody that faith and trust.”
