The Quinnipiac men’s soccer team faced off against Bryant Tuesday afternoon in their last non-conference game of the season, falling to the Bulldogs 3-0.
Going into the game, Bryant held a record of 7-1, with their only loss coming against Vermont – who beat Quinnipiac last season in the first round of the NCAA tournament. The Bulldogs had also outscored their opponents 17-1, with the only goal against coming in their only loss.
When it comes to Bryant’s strengths, Quinnipiac head coach Eric Da Costa highlighted Bryant’s ball possession skills in their ability to play defense through offense.
“[It is] fact that they keep the ball, so they don’t really have to defend a lot if they have the ball more often than not,” Quinnipiac Head Coach Eric Da Costa said. “So, their best defense was on offense and I think they’ve got a good philosophy.”
The first half of the game got off to a slow start, with Bryant keeping the majority of the possession of the ball. Quinnipiac did have some opportunities during the first half but was unable to make any plays. Then, at the 13th minute mark, Bryant’s Vicente Valor Martinez gained possession of the ball, shooting from the top of the box, hitting it into the high left side of the goal to give them a 1-0 lead.
Both teams stayed quiet offensively during the rest of the half. In a close chance for Bryant, Quinnipiac goaltender Karl Netzell made a diving save in the lower left corner on a free kick from Bryant’s Inigo Villaldea.
Going into the second half, Da Costa decided to sub out Netzell and bring in junior Matthew Pisani for his first appearance of the season. Netzel finished the game with only one save.
“It’s just a good opportunity to get [Pisani] a chance to play, because as we go down the stretch, you never know what happens, and you know, you want to be able to have some guys with some minutes,” Da Costa said.
Bryant had a few chances to score in the second half, with the first coming when Adrian Camacho had a penalty kick over on the right side of the goal. Pisani dove over to the right side of the net and was able to keep the ball out.
The Bobcats wouldn’t get as lucky on the next two attempts. After a yellow card was called on Quinnipiac first-year Jacob Garrigues, Valor’s penalty kick was first blocked by the Bobcats’ wall, but he was then able to get the rebound and kick into the upper corner of the net.
Almost immediately after that, Bryant midfielder Jonas Lyshoj kicked the ball through the traffic of Quinnipiac players to push the ball past the goal line and make it a 3-0 game for Bryant.
Despite the Bobcats’ 3-0 loss against the Bulldogs, Da Costa still found it beneficial for players to be able to get more playing time before the rest of conference play starts.
“It’s really about getting guys minutes and taking some minutes off with some other guys so that we’re in a good place for the weekend,” Da Costa said.
Quinnipiac will return to conference play on Saturday at home against Rider starting at 2 p.m.
