After six months of anticipation, the Quinnipiac men’s soccer team capitalized on their opportunity to defeat their main MAAC rival, the Monmouth Hawks. 

The last time these two teams met, it was on April 17 in the Spring 2021 MAAC Championship game, where Monmouth got the best of Quinnipiac, taking the tournament title 1-0. 

“History is history,” said Quinnipiac head coach Eric Da Costa. “It is in the past. We can’t go back and replay that game. Last year, it was about winning the MAAC Championship. This year, it is about making the playoffs.”

Quinnipiac graduate goalie Jared Mazzola got the nod for his second start of the season, after his last start coming on Aug. 26 against Boston College. 

With fans in the stands and a big game on the line, the Bobcats were ready for some competitive MAAC action. 

Within the first minute of the game, Brage Aasen made his presence known, as he sent a one-timer into the back of the net for his ninth goal of the season, giving the Bobcats a quick 1-0 lead.  

Later on in the first half, Monmouth retaliated, scoring a goal of their own. Junior Ben Zakowski was fouled by midfielder Paulo Soares. Zakowski took the free kick for the Hawks and tucked it into the upper left corner of the net to make the game tied up at 1-1 going into halftime.

In the second half, both Quinnipiac and Monmouth made adjustments to the defensive side of the ball. 

Monmouth goalie Sean Murray made multiple key stops, including two saves on penalty kicks. Murray seemed unstoppable as he shut down every scoring opportunity for the Bobcats.

Nearing the final minutes, Quinnipiac was looking to get the game-winning goal. 

Bobcats defensemen Rom Wasserman booted the ball inside the box, but Murray deflected it with his right hand. The ball landed in front of junior Jason Budhai and he blasted the ball into the back of the net, giving the Bobcats a 2-1 lead. 

“As soon as I hit the ball, I knew it was going to go in,” expressed Budhai. “Coach always told me my chances are going to come and I took my chance today.”

Monmouth could not recover from the late goal and the Bobcats came out victorious, getting revenge over the Hawks. 

With the win, Quinnipiac broke its two-game losing streak and improved their record to 8-6 on the season and 3-4 in the MAAC. Meanwhile, Monmouth suffers a difficult loss, and now sits at 7-5-2 on the year.

The Bobcats will look to build on their newfound momentum from today’s triumph, as they travel to Fairfield, Connecticut to face off against the Stags next Wednesday.