By Rebecca Castagna, QBSN Staff Writer
Junior Tim Quigley (Ridgefield, Conn.) gave The Quinnipiac Bobcats (4-4-1, 2-0 NEC) a 1-0 lead in the 18th minute that they maintained for a win over the Sacred Heart Pioneers (5-5, 1-2 NEC).
The Bobcats’ first and only goal of the game was Quigley’s first goal of the season. After receiving an assist from senior Robbie McLarney (Londonderry, N.H.), Quigley headed the ball backwards, sending it over the Pioneer goalie’s fingers.
“The ball came right to my head and I just flicked it on,” Quigley said about his game-winning goal. “I’ve got to give all the credit to Robbie on that one. It was a great ball.”
Quigley’s goal was the fifth consecutive set piece scored on by the Bobcats.
“Tim has been playing phenomenal all season, so I’m very happy for him to finally get his name on the score sheet,” Head Coach Eric Da Costa said.
Both teams continued the game into the second half with an aggressive approach. The Bobcats earned two yellow cards while the Pioneers earned two yellows and a red card.
Da Costa described the contentious game as a “battle” against “stiff competition,” and said he was proud of the team’s performance for the day.
Though the Pioneers made attempts at equalizing the score, a strong defense by freshman Stevenson Hawkey (Pennington, N.J.) and six saves by sophomore goalie Borja Angoitia (Bilbaio, Spain) helped the Bobcats hold onto their lead and keep their opponents off the scoreboard.
The victory was the Bobcats’ eleventh consecutive win against the Pioneers at home.
“This is a big morale boost for us, especially coming off our tough non-conference,” Quigley said of the impact of the win. “If we can win like this every time, I’ll take it.”
Da Costa agreed and said, “Whether it’s 1-0 or 6-0, it’s three points and we move on.”
As the Bobcats head to their next game against LIU on Sunday, they hope to continue with this mindset and close out the weekend with six points to their name.
