The Quinnipiac men’s soccer team (2-4-1) got their second victory of the season defeating Columbia (2-2) by a final score of 2-0. Two newcomers to the Bobcats scored goals today. Freshman Max Rothenbucher and junior transfer James Greco each got their first goals in a Bobcats’ uniform today.
The first half was a defensive stalemate between the two teams. Both Quinnipiac and Columbia struggled to get anything going in the offensive end. The Lions were dominating possession time during the first 20 minutes of the match, but could not breakthrough the Bobcats’ back line of juniors Erik Panzer and Nick Lasewicz and seniors Ashton Pett and Tobias Esche. The two teams played majority of the first half in the middle of the field, unable to get any momentum in the offensive zone.
It took more than 20 minutes for either team to get a shot on goal. At the end of the first half the Bobcats had just one shot on goal and the Lions had only mustered up two shots. The second half would be a different story, as the Bobcats would come out with much more intensity and a sense of urgency to get something going on offense.
The Bobcats would finally get the goal they needed and take a 1-0 lead with 32 minutes remaining in the second half. Rothenbucher received a pass from freshman John-John Diaz and used his crafty footwork to maneuver his way around the Lions defense before taking a shot with his left foot that went right over Columbia’s goalkeeper’s hands. The shot by Rothenbucher had no chance of being stopped with the amount of spin and speed that he kicked it with. This was Rothenbucher’s first career goal as a Bobcat and his first goal in nearly two years after returning from an injury in Germany.
“We are all real happy for Max because it’s kind of a monkey off his back,” head coach Eric Da Costa said. “He opportunistically got his goal before he was hauled off the field.”
The Lions would then push up their pressure, as they began to find some holes in the Bobcats’ defense. The Lions best chance to score came just minutes after Rothenbucher scored. Columbia junior Frederick Elliot received a pass just inside the box and fired a shot that would go just over the crossbar, keeping the 1-0 lead in tact for the Bobcats.
The Bobcats’ offense would strike again and take a 2-0 lead off Greco’s goal. Greco received the pass from senior Raphael Carvalho and with defenders draped all over him, was able to get the shot off and score.
Things got a bit testy towards the end of the game with players from both teams pushing and shoving each other. Columbia players were clearly frustrated with the way the afternoon had gone.
The Bobcats would hold on to win 2-0. Quinnipiac look to keep their winning streak going on Friday when they take on crosstown rival Yale in one final match before conference play begins.
