Quinnipiac field hockey head Coach Becca Main earned her 200th career win Sunday afternoon, as the Bobcats defeated the Brown University Bears by a score of 5-2.

Quinnipiac jumped out to an early 1-0 lead and never looked back, as redshirt sophomore forward Brooke Whipkey scored her first goal of the season just two minutes into the game. Freshman forward Julianna Cappello added another goal in the first quarter to extend the Bobcats’ lead.

Midfielder Bianca Strubbe added two goals of her own during the second quarter to give the Bobcats some breathing room. Quinnipiac held the 4-0 advantage until midway through the fourth quarter, when Brown scored two quick goals off penalty corners to cut Quinnipiac’s lead in half.

The Bobcats held strong though, and sophomore defender Mikayla Dugan scored her first goal of the season in the final seconds of the game to make the final score 5-1 in favor of the Bobcats. Freshman midfielder Eva Veldhorst led the way with 2 assists for the Bobcats. These contributions from the younger players bode well for a Bobcats team that has been eliminated from the playoff race this year, but is looking to contend for the Big East championship next season.

This is Main’s 25^th season as the Quinnipiac field hockey head coach, and throughout those 25 years she has racked up individual accolades, as well as building national respect and recognition for the program. Main earned the school an invitation to join the prestigious Big East conference in 2016 as a result of their success playing in the MAAC, which was highlighted by a MAAC Tournament Championship in 2013. Main has also earned four Coach of the Year awards during her coaching career.

This victory snaps an eight-game losing streak for the Bobcats, who have dealt with a very tough month of October. Main said that she believes emphasizing honesty during practice and film review sessions played a key role in the team’s improved performance today.

“We’re being a little bit more honest, especially in film and with individual players,” Main said. “I think that’s been really key for us.”

Strubbe explained how happy the team was to secure this milestone for their coach.

“We worked so hard. We went into the game saying we have to win,” Strubbe said. “We don’t have to win for us, we have to win for our coach. She deserves it. And finally we made it, and we were so happy that we made her happy.”

Main said that she wasn’t even sure the team knew about the milestone, but seeing her players present signs and give congratulations after the game really sent it home.

“To see that the team actually, really knew that, that was heartwarming,” Main said.

There are always more milestones to aim for. According to Main, her next goal is to guide her team to the Big East Championship. Unfortunately, that will not happen this season with the Bobcats eliminated from postseason contention, but Main is looking forward to a fresh start for her team next year.

“The milestone that was really important to us this year was to get in the Big East championship and we didn’t, and that’s obviously very disappointing,” Main said. “I would say that’s the number one milestone for us next year.”

For now, the Bobcats will look to finish their season on a high note and carry that momentum over into next season. Quinnipiac will conclude its season next week as the team hosts Temple on Friday, November 1^st at 3:00 p.m.