By Kevin Noonan, QBSN Staff Writer
Dana Cosmedy kicked in the game-winning goal for the Sacred Heart Pioneers just four minutes into the second half to defeat the Quinnipiac women’s soccer team 1-0 in Northeast Conference action.
The Pioneers (8-8-1, 5-3-1 NEC) sent a free kick into the box and tried to head it in. The ball came loose in the box as Quinnipiac (8-5-2, 4-3-1 NEC) was looking for a handball call against the Pioneers. Cosmedy came loose from the scrum with the ball and scored her fourth goal of the year.
“It was a silly free kick to give away,” head coach Dave Clarke said. “We didn’t deal with the ball into the penalty area. A lot of players stopped, looking for a hand ball…but you can’t stop and you got to finish the play.”
A slick field brought on by sprinkles of rain caused difficult play for both teams, as the game was played very back and forth throughout. The offenses were able to come more alive in the second half as they got used to the playing field.
Sacred Heart moved in front of Quinnipiac in the NEC standings, capitalizing on the one goal victory. The Pioneers move ahead of the Bobcats into fourth place, while idle Bryant drops to fifth, leaving Quinnipiac in sixth place.
“A win today would have gone a long away, we’d be in third and totally in control of our own destiny,” Clarke said.
Quinnipiac had numerous opportunities to get an equalizer in the second half, including a free kick from 40 yards out from Aine McKeever (Derry City, Ireland). The kick was placed around the 12-yard mark, but no one could get a head on the ball, and it skipped past the goal post.
Throughout much of the second half the Bobcats controlled the offensive tempo despite the slick field, and put seven shots to try and equalize the score.
“Its one of those games where you want a half hour or an hour, or a day to digest it but there’s not much you can say,” Clarke said.
Crystal Burns (Overland Park, Kan.) had another attempt to put the Bobcats even with the Pioneers late in the second half but shanked the left-footed shot well left of the post as she tried to tuck it past a charging goalkeeper Sydney Judkins.
Judkins finished the day with three saves in net for the Pioneers, and her fourth shutout of the year.
Bobcat goalkeeper Jill Kelley (Simsbury, Conn.) finished the game with two saves, as Quinnipiac lost its third 1-0 game of the year.
Despite the loss, Quinnipiac outshot Sacred Heart 10-7 in the game, but the Pioneers had the advantage in corners 3-1.
The Bobcats see their road to the playoffs become much more difficult with the loss to Sacred Heart as they make the journey to Western Pennsylvania this weekend to finish the season against Robert Morris on Friday and St. Francis on Sunday.
“What we’ve done is we opened the door for other teams, Sacred Heart, obviously, and Bryant as well,” Clarke said. “Two wins puts us in and one of them out.”
