In its first season in the MAAC, the Quinnipiac men’s soccer team is the co-regular season champion and the No. 2 seed in the conference playoffs. The stage is set for the Bobcats to make a run toward the MAAC Championship in their inaugural year, but formidable foes, the Iona Gaels, stand in their way. Quinnipiac will face Iona in the MAAC Championship Semifinals on Friday, Nov. 15 at 7 p.m.

In the regular season, the Bobcats and Gaels faced off in Hamden, Conn., and played to a 0-0 tie. In the game, the Gaels’ goalkeeper, Julian Petrello, stole the show by making nine saves while his counterpart, the Bobcats’ junior goalkeeper Borja Angoitia, made five saves.

The story could be different this time, as both teams have hit their late-season strides in the scoring department. For the Bobcats, the scoring seems to come mainly from senior midfielder Simon Hinde, as he has scored three goals since that 0-0 tie against Iona. The Gaels look to score through Franklin Castellanos, and Ignacio Maganto as they both have scored nine goals on the year.

Castellanos and Maganto are in a three-way tie for the conference lead in goals (9). The third player in that tie is none other than the Bobcats’ own, Simon Hinde.  Even though the two teams played to a 0-0 tie the last time, there is no reason to expect some points to be put on the board with the MAAC’s top scorers taking the pitch.

Keys for Quinnipiac:

• FInd a way to break through Julian Petrello, through set pieces.
• Stevenson Hawkey and Ashton Pett need to have their best games so far this season as they face Castellanos and Maganto attacking on the wings.

Keys for Iona:

• The midfield for the Gaels needs to stick to lateral passing as over the top thru balls will not work with the tall backline of the Bobcats.
• Find Castellanos and Maganto in transition, as their speed will expose the bigger bodies of the Bobcats’ backline.