This week in MAAC women’s soccer featured a matinee contest between the Quinnipiac Bobcats and the Manhattan Jaspers on Oct. 29. The brisk and chilly autumn match-up had a lot on the line as the Jaspers needed a win to get into the top six in the MAAC standings and a trip to the MAAC tournament, while Quinnipiac had already secured its spot.
Just four minutes into the game, Quinnipiac’s leading goal scorer, Morgan Cupo, delivered her 11th of the year as she slid it right past the reigning MAAC Defensive Player of the Week, Manhattan goalkeeper Margaret Brunk. Quinnipiac brought early pressure as Manhattan did not have a legitimate chance within the first five minutes of the game.
“We have gotten chances, but not always putting them away, and it just really gives the momentum towards us,” Cupo said. “We know how it feels being in that position, being down a goal early.”
The Jaspers finally threatened with a push towards the net at the 13th minute but the shot went just wide. Quinnipiac continued to play strong defense throughout the game, controlling the pace of play for 20 minutes. In the 22nd minute of the match, Brunk made a difficult save as Addison Earl just missed the second-best opportunity of the game as Quinnipiac looked for the early insurance goal.
Manhattan had good runs down the wings in the first half, but Quinnipiac forced difficult shots and few high-danger chances in the middle of the field. Olivia Jarvis saved a routine ball as the Jaspers’ best chance of the day came at the 35th minute. Neither team could generate anything on offense late in the first half.
All season, Quinnipiac Head Coach Dave Clarke has emphasized “resilience,” and it showed it off throughout the first half.
A chippy first half ended as both teams played stout defense, with the Bobcats taking a 1-0 lead. Manhattan registered only one shot on goal in the first half, while Quinnipiac registered two.
As both teams tried to find a rhythm in the second half, it was Addison Earl of Quinnipiac who brought an early push at the 47th minute, leading to another early corner kick for the Bobcats. Cupo got a chance but headed it just wide of the net after Alves set her up.
Olivia Jarvis made a diving save on the right side in the 52nd minute as Olivia McMaster could not capitalize on the free kick. The very next play, Manhattan with a push, but it is later called a handball as they attempt to tie the game. Cupo gets robbed in the 57th minute as she was stopped twice by Manhattan’s Brunk. Quinnipiac was trying to find Cupo’s foot in their relentless pursuit, but the Jaspers’ defense stood strong.
The second half featured a lot of sporadic play from both teams, with the sides going back and forth across the field. Manhattan had one last chance to empty the gas tank and keep their season alive within the last 15 minutes, and who else but standout defender Madison Alves, making another key play.
Just a few moments later, Quinnipiac delivers a late dagger in the 86th minute as Molly Andrews crossed it to Addison Earl for the finish—a tough way to end the season for Manhattan as Dave Clarke’s squad looked on to the MAAC playoffs.
A quiet afternoon for Manhattan’s top two-point scorers, Amaya Hill and Olivia McMaster, as the Bobcats’ defense suffocated them all day. Every time the Jaspers made a push, there were multiple Bobcats defenders in the vicinity.
Head Coach Dave Clarke also said, “Embracing expectation…second unbeaten season in the last three years in the MAAC, not many teams do that.”
Quinnipiac will look to continue its four-game win streak in a win-or-go-home format as it hosts a highly anticipated MAAC tournament semifinal game on Thursday, Nov. 6, at 1 p.m. The Bobcats ended their regular season on a positive note, finishing 7-4-5.
