Quinnipiac University
Canisius
QU Women's Soccer Falls to Canisius at Home, 2-1
10/4/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
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Box Score
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QU Women's Soccer Homepage
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QU Women's Soccer Schedule (Downloadable on iCalendar)
HAMDEN, Conn. – Sophomore Jessica Fontaine (Enfield, Conn.) scored her third goal of the season on Saturday afternoon, but a late goal for the visiting Canisius College Golden Griffins handed the Quinnipiac University women's soccer team the home MAAC loss, 2-1.
Hamden took its fair share of rain this week, soaking the QU Soccer Field on Wednesday when QU hosted Fairfield and then again in Saturday's match. With the difficult playing conditions and an added element of luck, Canisius managed to escape with its third triumph of the season.
The Golden Griffins struck first in the 19th minute, when Alexis Kroese found some room down the left side of the field to loft a cross into the center of the box. With several players looming in the area, the ball skipped and deflected a few times before landing at the foot of Sabrina Fitzgerald. The sophomore midfielder punched the ball into the back of the net to give the visitors a 1-0 advantage.
Despite the 1-0 deficit, Quinnipiac still had the better of the play throughout the first half. Evidenced by a 10-0 advantage and an 11-2 edge in shots, the Bobcats peppered the Griffs' backline for the equalizer. In the 32nd minute, Quinnipiac's hard work came to fruition when Fontaine finished off a header to tie the score up at 1-1. Quinnipiac earned a free-kick from 45 yards out, where Kelly Caruso (Rocky Hill, Conn.) drove a well-placed ball into the penalty area. Fontaine timed her run perfectly and redirected the ball into the bottom corner for her sixth career goal.
Statistically, Quinnipiac dominated the stat sheet and created several more chances than Canisius on the offensive end. Unfortunately, the constant pressure in Canisius' defensive zone left Quinnipiac vulnerable to counterattack, exactly how the Griffs manufactured the game-winning goal. The ball worked its way up the field to the foot of Fitzgerald, who found Maria Nelms open in front of Quinnipiac's backline. With just enough space, the senior midfielder laced a shot from 25-yards out over the outstretched arms of Bobcat keeper Natalia Grodzki (Bartlett, Ill.) to the top corner. Canisius fended off one last push from Quinnipiac and picked up three points in the MAAC standings.
Quinnipiac outshot Canisius, 16-6, in the game and held a 16-0 advantage in corner kicks.
Grodzki made four saves for the Bobcats, while her counterpart, Brigid St. Leger, made seven saves for the Griffs. She improved to 3-4 on the season.
Saturday's match was Quinnipiac's Coaches vs. Cancer game, where the Bobcats worked in conjunction with the American Cancer Society's fight against cancer. Fans had the opportunity to take part in fundraising activities that went towards benefitting the life-saving work of the American Cancer Society. In addition to national donations, Quinnipiac collected donations to help two passionate Bobcat fans who are currently in the fight with cancer, Shaun Bailey and Jay Bentivegna.
The Bobcats are back in action with their final non-conference game on Tuesday, Oct. 7. Quinnipiac travels to Brown University for a 7 p.m. kickoff at Stevenson Field in Providence, R.I.
Student-athletes, parents and fans can download the QU Athletics schedules to your laptop and mobile devices for free by clicking in the iCalendar link at the bottom of each sport's homepage or the master schedule page. Fans can also follow Quinnipiac Athletics on Facebook and Twitter (@QUAthletics) for all of the latest news and updates.
