The Quinnipiac Bobcats (1-4-0, 0-0-0 MAAC) defeated the Vermont Catamounts (2-3-0, 0-0-0 America East) 1-0 in an aggressive, up-tempo match. Sophomore Jess Fontaine scored the team’s first goal in more than 700 minutes of play, dating back to October of last season. Quinnipiac controlled the pace of play, dominating possession at midfield and in its attacking third.
The first half consisted of minimal scoring opportunities on the offensive side, but played near perfect defense, creating a difficult time for the Catamounts to settle the ball in the attacking zone, or complete any passes through the box. Despite the scoreless half, head coach Dave Clarke actually felt that his team played better in the first half.
“For about five or 10 minutes in the second half we couldn’t really get a foothold, then we finally got a foothold,” Clarke said. “We made some tackles, Jess Fontaine made a tackle, then we took over and got a goal at the right time.”
However, the Bobcats were able to break the tie in the 66th minute of the second half with an excellent cross from Sarah Pandolfi, finding sophomore forward Jess Fontaine to finish the play. Fontaine’s goal marks the fourth of her career. Clarke said offense was an area of emphasis following the last four games without a goal.
“If you look at the last couple of games, especially with Yale, we got beat on two set pieces,” he said. “If we walked out of here losing 1-0, especially after that first half performance, I probably would have given them a few days off and not say anything … it’s been a long five weeks that they’ve been here so they deserve that win.”
The 0-4 record is not an accurate way to describe his team’s performance, according to Clarke.
“We’re 0-4 even though we’ve played against better opposition,” he said. “We’re in the MAAC and the two teams we play out on the West Coast are in the sixth and eighth best ranked conferences in the country. On one hand we are better than our record says, but you are what your record says.”
With their first win under their belt, the Bobcats look to add another victory to their win column when they hit the road to take on St. Joseph’s next Friday.
