Make it seven wins out of nine. The Quinnipiac Bobcats women’s soccer team defeated the Marist Red Foxes 1-0 in double overtime on Saturday afternoon at the Quinnipiac Soccer Stadium. 

It was a defensive battle all day, as both teams had their scoring chances, but could not find the back of the net for over 103 minutes of action. 

Bobcats sophomore goalkeeper Sofia Lospinoso was on top of her game, stopping all three shots on goal from the Red Foxes. Senior goalkeeper for the Red Foxes Natalie Kelchner, a Fairfield, Connecticut native, also had a game to remember, as she denied the Bobcats on seven of their eight shots on goal. 

Lospinoso’s best save of the day came in the 39th minute, as she robbed a wide-open Grace Divincenzo of her first goal of the season. 

In the 57th minute of action, the Bobcats looked to have their best scoring opportunity of the game, as sophomore forward Rebecca Cooke moved in on a breakaway, but the referee ruled the play offsides. 

As the Bobcats and Red Foxes played on into the 71st minute, Ontario native Courtney Chochol banged a shot off the post. Just over a minute later, Chochol had another chance to give the Bobcats the lead, but she was denied by Kelchner. 

After entering the game for a briefly injured Kayla Mingachos, first year defender Madison Mandleur made a crucial defensive stop on the Red Foxes as they entered the offensive zone four-on-two. Mingachos quickly re-entered the game shortly after. 

The game would move on to overtime, where in the 98th minute, Christina Layden of Marist fouled senior Bobcats midfielder Selena Salas inside the box, which resulted in a penalty shot and a chance to win the game. 

“There was a little of emotion going on,” Salas said. “The keeper was trying to get into my head. She was screaming to me, so I tried to stay composed because I had been there before.” 

After a hesitation move, Salas shot the ball to the right of Kelchner, who dove to make an incredible save which kept the game tied heading to the second overtime period. 

After 103 minutes of hard fought, defensive soccer, Cooke buried the game winner in the 104th minute to give the Bobcats their seventh win of the season. The goal was Cooke’s eighth of the season, which leads the Bobcats. 

Cooke was very appreciative for the help she’s received when asked what has contributed to her success this season.

“Just the team and the coaches,” Cooke said. “The coaches all have the best interests in the player’s heart, and the crowd was helpful in today’s win and all throughout the season.” 

When asked about the job his two starting goalkeepers have done, and the confidence he has in them, Bobcats head coach Dave Clarke expressed the importance of having not just two capable starters, but four. 

“We actually have four starting goalkeepers, which is a luxury we’ve never had here,” Clarke said. “You haven’t seen Kaelen (Fabry) and Gwen (Hoyt) yet, who actually in time may be one and two. It’s good to have her (Lospinoso), there are going to be games where Meaghan (Phillips) is a better fit than Sof, and Sof’s a better fit than Meaghan.” 

The Bobcats will look to make it three wins in a row on Wednesday, Oct. 6, as they travel to New York City to take on their MAAC conference rivals, the Manhattan Jaspers.