By Taylor Massey, QBSN Staff Writer
The sunny weather brought a large crowd to the women’s field hockey game, but the extra encouragement wasn’t enough to push the team past Lafayette. The Leopards topped the Bobcats 4-2 and advanced to 6-1 for the season. The loss drops the Bobcats to 4-3 overall.
The Bobcats bolted out of the gate early with a 2-0 lead. Team leaders Jennalise Taylor (Yardley, Pa.) and Jess Rusin (Garwood, N.J.) each put up a goal in the first 11 minutes of play.
Taylor scored under two minutes into the game after catching a corner pass. The goal is her fifth of the season. Rusin and Lauren Zimniski (Dallas, Pa.) were awarded the assists.
Minutes later Rusin shot from the right of the goal to pick up her fourth goal of the season.
After falling behind, Lafayette regrouped and fired a fierce attack for the remainder of the game. Four different leopards s
cored to top the Bobcats. Emily Valeo, Kelsey Mead, Hannah Sotiropoulos and Deanna Dicroce all recorded unassisted goals.
Despite the loss, Bobcat defense put up a fight. Several key players stepped up and prevent Lafayette from capitalizing on more scoring opportunities. Amanda Danziger (Smithtown, N.Y.) showed a smooth transition to her new position on the back line. Previously she played as a forward.
“It was a big adjustment for me,” said Danziger. “I know mentally I’m definitely a forward so it’s hard for me to change my mind set, but I’m definitely enjoying it.”
Quinnipiac goalie Megan Conaboy (Clarks Summitt, Pa.) also made a name for herself in her first career start. She made seven saves on 11 shots and played a major role in keeping the Bobcats in the game.
“This is a challenging team and we were all nerves and kind of wanted to protect her, but she needed no protection. She held her own in there,” said Danziger about Conaboy.
The strong start in the Lafayette game demonstrates the potential of this team. The next step is to convert that potential into wins as Quinnipiac begins to face even tougher teams.
“We have the skill, we have the ability to score now, and we have the ability to defend, so we have a lot of the pieces that are fantastic,” said head coach Becca Main.
Next up Quinnipiac heads north to face the Maine Black Bears. Coming off a 3-2 win over the University of the Pacific, the Black Bears are 5-4 overall this season. The two will face each other next Friday Sept. 21 on Maine’s home turf at 6 p.m.
