The Quinnipiac men’s soccer team improved its MAAC record to 2-0-1 with its victory over Marist College, 1-0, on Wednesday. The lone goal of the match was the first in Tobi Esche’s (Bremen, Germany) college career.
The match started off as a physical battle in the first half, with both teams accumulating a combined 16 fouls in the first half. Quinnipiac was able to win the battles on the body and on the ball, getting ten shots onto Marist goalkeeper Anthony Sokalski (London, Ontario).
The first big scoring opportunity for the Bobcats was presented in the 20th minute when senior captain Simon Hinde (Canberra, Australia) was awarded a penalty shot. Though the shot hit off the post and did not go in, the opportunity helped give a boost of momentum for the team. Hinde would have four other shots before leaving the game early in the second half with an injury.
Coming out in the second half, Quinnipiac again dominated on the offensive side, preventing Marist from getting a shot on goal the entire half. Even with the lead, head coach Eric Da Costa maintained a firm strategy, bringing in junior Ola Ogunjobi (London, England) in the last 10 minutes of the second half, to keep pressure up and keep the team pressing on to finish the match.
Late in the 83rd minute, the Bobcats lost defensive anchor and goalkeeper Borja Angoitia (Bilbao, Spain) to an injury, giving sophomore keeper Jason Vanchura (Whitman, Mass) time in net.
Esche had nothing but praise for his teammate, freshman James Doig, whose corner kick he headed for his goal.
“It was a good corner,” Esche said. “We practiced that a lot this week. James Doig had great set pieces the whole game, the whole season and we hadn’t scored yet, so it was about time. I headed it. I think it was the perfect header.”
Coach Da Costa also sang the team’s praises.
“I thought we did well,” Da Costa said. “I think we achieved our goal, which was to walk away with 3 points … We picked it up a little bit more and created a couple more chances that maybe we could have capitalized on, but 1-0 is a result that we like because it puts us with 3 points, and it helps us climb the table so we’re happy with it.”
The Bobcats hit the pitch for another MAAC game this Saturday, Oct. 19 against Canisius.
