Hamden, CT – The Quinnipiac Bobcats dropped their first home conference game of the season to the Siena Saints Saturday afternoon, losing the contest 1-0. It was the Bobcats’s first loss against a conference opponent at home since Oct. 16th, 2021 which was vs. Niagara.
The Saints, led by former Quinnipiac player and assistant coach Graciano Brito, came into the contest having won back-to-back conference matchups and have now defeated the Bobcats in consecutive seasons.
The lone goal in the contest came in the 80th minute. After the Bobcats failed to clear the ball from their end, midfielder Zach Gardner corralled a pass from Henrik Winkelmann and got the ball past a sliding Karl Netzell before depositing it into the back of the net.
Netzell recorded five saves on the day, his most since the season opener against Rhode Island.
Siena came close to scoring even earlier. In the 57th minute, midfielder Carl Melin fired a shot on goal after Netzell had made an attempt to clear the ball but sophomore defenseman João Pinto was able to block the shot and send it out.
The Bobcats furiously attempted to tie the game up. With multiple corner kicks in the closing minutes, the Siena defense prevented the Bobcats from getting a shot on net.
Quinnipiac’s offense has fallen dormant, with no goals scored in their last 250 minutes of play. They were outshot 11-2 by Siena.
“I couldn’t tell you the number of times that we sit and look at film and…we know how to attack these guys and where their weaknesses are and then they come out and… they look like Real Madrid and Barcelona,” said Quinnipiac head coach Eric Da Costa.
The Bobcats’ best chance came in the 71st minute. After Melin received a yellow card for grabbing ahold of Quinnipiac forward Jason Budhai, captain Brage Aasen was set up for a free kick in Siena’s end. Aasen, who entered the contest tied for second in the MAAC in goals, sent a shot just wide of the top right corner. It was Aasen’s lone shot attempt on the afternoon.
Quinnipiac was without midfielders Noe Cabezas and Francisco Ferreira after they received red cards Wednesday against Marist. Da Costa opted to give more minutes to Alex Miller and Noah Silverman. Both registered a shot in the game, with Miller having multiple but neither was able to get one on net.
Da Costa’s squad was tabbed as the preseason favorites to win the MAAC but have yet to win against a conference opponent this season. They currently sit in ninth place within the conference, with a record of 0-3-2 in the MAAC.
“They’re bringing their best,” said Da Costa. “It’s a compliment. It’s a compliment that we get everybody’s best.”
“We’re not doing anything different, we’re giving our best as well,” added Da Costa. “In the end, those mistakes are biting us in the backside.”
The Bobcats’ next game will be another in-conference contest against Mount St. Mary’s at 3 p.m. Wednesday in Hamden.
