After Quinnipiac women’s soccer (6-5-1, 3-1-1 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference) fell to rival Monmouth 2-0 in their first conference loss, the Bobcats look to return to the win column as they welcome the Rider Broncs (2-8-1, 2-2-1 MAAC) to Hamden.
Although Quinnipiac notched the first win when they entered the MAAC, the Broncs have had the edge in their last three games, winning all of them. Their last meeting came last season on Sept. 17, 2016, when Rider defeated Quinnipiac by a narrow margin of 2-1. Quinnipiac enters this game undefeated in four out of their last five games, with three victories coming against St. Peter’s, Siena, and Fairfield. Meanwhile, Rider is coming into this contest drawing to Niagara 1-1 at home after losing to Monmouth 1-0.
Junior Nadya Gill leads the Bobcats in four categories: goals (nine), points (25), shot attemps (29) and shots on goal (26). Gill and Goldring are currently tied in total assists with seven. Other offensive contributors on the season include sophomore Kelsey Goldring with five goals and seven assists, junior Madison Boroweic with four goals and four assists, and junior Al Pelletier with three goals and five assists. For the second time this season, Goldring was awarded the MAAC Rookie of the Week nomination last week following a three-point performance in a 2-0 road win over Fairfield. The sophomore, who was injured all last season with a knee injury, is the only MAAC player to earn this award on two occasions this season.
Sophomore goalkeeper Olivia Myszewski has started 11 games for the Bobcats this season, posting 17 goals against, a 1.63 goals against average, 52 saves, and a 6-4-1 record with three shutouts. The Bobcats are nationally ranked in many categories, including 25th in goals per game (2.33), third in assists per game (3.17), and tied for eighth in points per game (7.83).
Meanwhile, the Rider Broncs have scored eight goals in their last four games while only allowing three goals during that stretch. However, they’ve also been shutout in four games this season. The sole two games that Rider has won came back-to-back on Sept. 20 against St. Peter’s (3-0) and on Sept. 23 against Fairfield (4-1). With that said, the Broncs’ first victory arrived eight games into the season after they broke a seven-game losing streak to begin their season.
Senior Michelle Iacono and junior Kourtney Cunningham are tied for the team lead in goals with four apiece. Additional scoring contributors include England native Ellie Smith with three goals, one assist, and 16 shots, and junior Sam Picinich with one game-winning goal and two assists. Rider net-minder Carmen Carbonell has earned some impressive numbers this season. She has started nine games and has posted a 2-4-1 record with one shutout, tallying 39 saves and a 1.05 goals against average.
Rider looks to snatch their first road win of the season, but the Myszewski and Bobcat defenders will pose a tough challenge since Quinnipiac aims to bounce back after their first MAAC loss on the season.
Tune in for kickoff at 2 p.m. at the Quinnipiac Soccer Turf Complex as Alex Peña and Jake Ziegler will be on the call. Follow @QBSN on Twitter, as well as our broadcasters, @alejandropena and @jakeziegler18.
Link to the broadcast: http://quinnipiacbobcats.com/watch/?Live=394&type=Live
