Saturday, October 3
Hamden, Conn.
1 pm
Quinnipiac University
vs
Niagara
QU Women's Soccer Resumes MAAC Play at Home Against Niagara on Saturday
10/1/2015 11:23:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Quinnipiac Bobcats (5-4-0, 1-1-0 MAAC)
vs. Niagara Purple Eagles (5-3-2, 3-0-0 MAAC)
Saturday, Oct. 3, 2015 • 1:00 PM
QU Soccer Field • Hamden, Conn.
All-Time Series vs. Niagara (DI): 0-1-1 (0-1-1)
Last Meeting: L, 4-1 (@ Niagara – Sept. 27, 2014)
RETURN OF THE MAAC
After closing out non-conference play for the 2015 season on Monday, Quinnipiac returns to conference play on Saturday, Oct. 3 with a home match scheduled for 1 PM against the current leader of the MAAC standings Niagara.
ALL-TIME AGAINST NIAGARA (0-1-1)
SCOUTING THE PURPLE EAGLES
Niagara (5-3-2) has been one of the surprise teams in the MAAC thus far in the 2015 season as the Purple Eagles enter the weekend with the best conference record (3-0-0) of any team in the MAAC. Selected to finish 9th in the MAAC Preseason Coaches' Poll, Niagara has surprised many this season with victories over Fairfield (W, 3-1), Iona (W, 4-3) and Siena (W, 2-0). Currently riding a three-game winning streak, Niagara owns the MAAC's single most lethal offensive force in Haillie Price who leads the conference with 19 points (eight goals, three assists) through 10 games in 2015. A severe matchup problem for defenses up top, Price has nearly twice as many attempted shots (51) this season than second place in the MAAC. Leading the conference in goals, goals per game, game-winning goals, points and points per game, Quinnipiac will need to keep Price in-check. Goalkeeper Claire Feiertag has played every minute in the cage for the Purple Eagles and comes in with a 1.24 GAA, .764 save percentage and three shutouts. Her latest shutout came on Wednesday against Siena as it marked the 15th career clean sheet for the Niagara keeper, making her the program's all-time career shutout leader.
JJ JUMPING IN
Reigning MAAC Offensive Player of the Week Jessica Jankowski is in the midst of the most productive stretch of her four-year career as she has notched seven points (three goals, one assist) over the last two games played. Coming off a career-high five point effort (two goals, one assist) in a 4-2 win over Saint Peter's, Jankowski notched the lone QU goal in a 3-1 defeat at UMass Lowell. Before the two-game surge, Jankowski had notched five points in her first 38 career appearances for the Bobcats. In addition, her five-point effort at SPU went down as the highest scoring output for a Bobcat in a single-game since Furtuna Velaj tallied a hat trick against Dartmouth on Sept. 17, 2010 (86 game stretch).
GOING FOR GOALS
Quinnipiac's first MAAC win of 2015 came in a 4-2 win over Saint Peter's on Sept. 26. The four goals for the Bobcats marked the most goals scored in a single-game for the Bobcats since Oct. 5, 2012 (45 game stretch) when Quinnipiac defeated Wagner, 4-1, on the road.
FONTAINE OF YOUTH
One of the highest scorers in the MAAC this season has been Quinnipiac's Jess Fontaine. Normally a facilitator out of the center midfield position, Fontaine just wrapped up the most successful month of her three-year career in Sept. as she notched nine points (three goals, three assists) through seven games for the Bobcats. That nine-point total marks the highest scoring month for any Bobcat since Furtuna Velaj's senior season in 2011 while her single month scoring total also matched her single-season career-high set last year. Another notable accomplishment for the junior was her career-long four-game scoring streak which ran from Aug. 28 – Sept. 13.
AWARD SEASON
Through six weeks of the 2015 season, Quinnipiac has now seen four individual weekly conference award winners which is tied with Siena for the most honorees in the MAAC this season. Nadya Gill was named Offensive Player of the Week (Aug. 31) as well as Rookie of the Week (Sept. 7). Jess Gargan picked up Rookie of the Week (Sept. 14) honors and Jankowski joined the mix with her Offensive Player of the Week honor (Sept. 28).
IMPORTANT IRELAND IMPORT
Freshman Jess Gargan recently had her goal scoring streak snapped at two against Rider, just five days after receiving MAAC Rookie of the Week honors for the first time in her career. Against UAlbany, Gargan scored the Bobcats' lone goal in a defeat at the hands of the Great Danes. Her first career tally in the game prior against Maine also stood up as the game-winning goal.
THAT ESCALATED QUICKLY
Quinnipiac's offensive outburst this season continued against Maine as the Bobcats scored three goals in the first 27:11 of play and went on to defeat Maine, 3-1. The three-goal first half barrage marked the first time Quinnipiac posted three goals in the first stanza since scoring three against Wagner on Oct. 5, 2012 in what resulted in a 4-1 victory.
I MEAN IT REALLY GOT OUT OF HAND FAST
Quinnipiac's three-goal first half featured the fastest recorded goal this season as Jess Fontaine found the back of the net just 1:25 into play. The Bobcats' last goal scored within the first two minutes of play came back on Sept. 30, 2011 as Furtuna Velaj scored at 1:57 in a 4-2 win over Fairleigh Dickinson.
FONTAINE OF YOUTH
Several Bobcats experienced career-firsts in the 3-1 win over Maine on Sept. 13, starting with the first career multi-goal game for Jess Fontaine. The Bobcats' active career scoring leader, with nine goals and eight assists in 41 career appearances, now has a team-leading 10 points (three goals, four assists) through nine games this season. The midfielder has either scored or assisted on 43.8 percent of the Bobcats' goals while she already set her single-season career high total.
GARGAN-TUAN GOAL
Among the other career firsts from the 3-1 victory over Maine included the first career goal and first career game-winning tally for freshman Jess Gargan. With two assists already on the season, Gargan's first goal came less than six minutes into play as she now ranks fourth on the team with six points in 2015.
POINTS APLENTY
Through nine games, the Bobcats have scored 1 goals and tallied 18 assists. Individually, Quinnipiac has 11 players who've registered at least one point and nine players with at least two points in 2015. The only schools in the MAAC that has more players with at least two points are Siena (13) and Canisius (11) as Quinnipiac is tied with Saint Peter's for third place.
HIGH RANKING
Quinnipiac's freshman striker Nadya Gill finds herself in some elite company as she became the first player in program history to have her first three career goals all go down as game-winners for the Bobcats. Her three game-winning tallies in 2015 also has her ranked high on the national leaderboard as she is tied for 19th in the nation in game-winning goals.
HISTORY MADE
The history-making debut season continued for Nadya Gill, as she is the first Bobcat freshman since Furtuna Velaj in the 2008 season to record at least three goals and three game-winning goals in her opening season as a Bobcat. Gill's success through her first four games is unmatched in Quinnipiac women's soccer history as she is the first player to have each of her first three career goals go down as the game-winning tally.
GIVE THE ROOK HER DUE
Another Bobcat dominating in her first season on the team has been freshman center back Sarahkate Norton. Through nine games in 2015, Norton leads all field players in minutes played this season (813) as she has played all but five minutes of action through the first nine games of her career. Norton has been one of the backbones for a steady defensive effort thus far that has allowed 6.2 shots-on-goal per game.
GOING BACK-TO-BACK
A week after earning the MAAC's Offensive Player of the Week award, Nadya Gill picked up her second straight weekly conference honor as she was named the MAAC Rookie of the Week on Sept. 7. Gill continued the torrid start to her career as she became the Bobcats' first back-to-back weekly award winner since Velaj was named Northeast Conference Rookie of the Week in consecutive weeks from Sept. 22-29, 2008.
KEEP THE W'S COMING
Quinnipiac is off to their best start since the 2012 season when they started the year 6-2-1 on their way to a 9-6-1 season in their final year in the Northeast Conference. Quinnipiac's road victory against Delaware State was its first away from the QU Soccer Field since Sept. 21, 2013 when they defeated Saint Peter's, 3-0, and the first non-conference road win since Sept. 2, 2012 when they knocked off Holy Cross, 1-0. Already with two road wins in 2015, the Bobcats have compiled more road wins this season than the previous two seasons combined.
OFFENSIVE OUTBURST
Offensive output certainly hasn't been the Bobcats' weakness through the first nine games of 2015 as Quinnipiac has already scored 16 goals, including at least two goals scored in five of nine games this season. The average of 1.78 goals per game through seven games to start a season is the highest goals per game average for the Bobcats in any single-season since the 2007 campaign where QU scored 22 goals (2.44 goals per game) through the first nine contests.
OFFENSIVE OUTBURST (CONT.)
Perhaps even more impressive is the Bobcats' scoring streak hit six straight games to start the 2015 season in which QU has scored at least one goal. The last time the Bobcats started a season with a longer goal scoring streak was the 2001 campaign wherein QU scored at least one goal in all 18 games.
MAAC ATTACK
Through nine games in 2015, Quinnipiac ranks in the top half of the league in all major offensive categories. With 11 goals scored in seven games, the Bobcats rank 5th in the MAAC in goals per game (1.57), 2nd in assists per game (2.14) and 5th in goals against average (1.57). Individually, Jess Fontaine is tied for 5th in the MAAC in points (nine), 5th in points per game (1.29), tied for 6th in goals (three), tied for 6th in goals per game (0.43) and tied for 4th in assists (three) and assists per game (0.43). Nadya Gill sits 3rd in the MAAC in shots per game (3.43), tied for 7th in points per game (1.00), tied for 6th in goals per game (0.43) and tied for 1st in game-winning goals (three). Natalia Grodzki has the 6th-best GAA in the MAAC (1.55) and also sits 8th in save percentage (.732).
YOUTH MOVEMENT
After bringing in a single-season program record 13 freshmen this offseason, Quinnipiac has reloaded in a big way as nine freshmen have entered in at least one game so far this season while seven rookies have played in all nine games in 2014. Seven of the Bobcats' 16 goals (44 percent) and six of the team's 18 assists (33 percent) have been notched by QU freshmen this season.
NADYA GILL THE THRILL
Freshman Nadya Gill made history on Aug. 31 as she was named the MAAC Women's Soccer Offensive Player of the Week. Gill became the first Quinnipiac women's soccer weekly award winner since Natalia Grodzki was named the Defensive Player of the Week twice in 2013, most recently on Oct. 28, 2013. Gill is also the first offensive player to win Player of the Week honors since Kemeshaa Woodfine on Sept. 4, 2012 and is the first rookie to be named Player of the Week since Furtuna Velaj on Oct. 6, 2008, both awards coming when the Bobcats were still a member of the Northeast Conference.
WHAT A DEBUT
Nadya Gill started her Bobcat career off with a bang as she tucked home the game-winning goal 7:46 into overtime for the Bobcats. She is the first Quinnipiac women's soccer player to have her first career goal result in the game-winner since Furtuna Velaj in 2008. Gill fired a game-high six shots and three on goal for the Bobcats against Holy Cross.
MAD-NESS
Gill was not the only freshman to tally goal in the season opener for the Bobcats as Madison Borowiec registered her first career goal with just 19 seconds remaining in the first half to provide the Bobcats with the equalizer heading into halftime. Borowiec was the first freshman since Jessica Fontaine in 2013 to score the first goal of the season for the Bobcats.
STARTING OFF THE SEASON RIGHT
Quinnipiac started off the season on a high note with its 2-1, overtime victory over the Holy Cross Crusaders on Monday. It is the first time since the 2012 season in which the Bobcats opened up the season with a win. In 2012, the Bobcats opened up the season 3-0, starting with a 1-0 win over the Providence Friars.
SENIOR ANCHOR
Goalkeeper Natalia Grodzki had a strong senior season debut for the Bobcats, making six saves in a victory over Holy Cross. It was the eighth time in her career that she had recorded at least six saves, most recently recording six saves on Oct. 22, 2014 against Manhattan. Grodzki followed that up with a two-save shutout against Delaware State to up his career win total to eight while also tallying her fifth career clean sheet. She then notched five saves to pick up her third win of the season and ninth of her career at Vermont.
UP NEXT
Quinnipiac hits the road for a Wednesday night kickoff at Marist, followed by Senior Day Saturday at home against MAAC power Monmouth.
vs. Niagara Purple Eagles (5-3-2, 3-0-0 MAAC)
Saturday, Oct. 3, 2015 • 1:00 PM
QU Soccer Field • Hamden, Conn.
All-Time Series vs. Niagara (DI): 0-1-1 (0-1-1)
Last Meeting: L, 4-1 (@ Niagara – Sept. 27, 2014)
RETURN OF THE MAAC
After closing out non-conference play for the 2015 season on Monday, Quinnipiac returns to conference play on Saturday, Oct. 3 with a home match scheduled for 1 PM against the current leader of the MAAC standings Niagara.
ALL-TIME AGAINST NIAGARA (0-1-1)
- Quinnipiac comes in searching for their first all-time win against Niagara as the Bobcats come in with an 0-1-1 record against the Purple Eagles
- The two sides tied 1-1 in Hamden in their first meeting during the 2013 season
- Niagara then dominated the 2014 matchup at home, taking a 4-1 win while owning a massive edge in shots (22-3)
SCOUTING THE PURPLE EAGLES
Niagara (5-3-2) has been one of the surprise teams in the MAAC thus far in the 2015 season as the Purple Eagles enter the weekend with the best conference record (3-0-0) of any team in the MAAC. Selected to finish 9th in the MAAC Preseason Coaches' Poll, Niagara has surprised many this season with victories over Fairfield (W, 3-1), Iona (W, 4-3) and Siena (W, 2-0). Currently riding a three-game winning streak, Niagara owns the MAAC's single most lethal offensive force in Haillie Price who leads the conference with 19 points (eight goals, three assists) through 10 games in 2015. A severe matchup problem for defenses up top, Price has nearly twice as many attempted shots (51) this season than second place in the MAAC. Leading the conference in goals, goals per game, game-winning goals, points and points per game, Quinnipiac will need to keep Price in-check. Goalkeeper Claire Feiertag has played every minute in the cage for the Purple Eagles and comes in with a 1.24 GAA, .764 save percentage and three shutouts. Her latest shutout came on Wednesday against Siena as it marked the 15th career clean sheet for the Niagara keeper, making her the program's all-time career shutout leader.
JJ JUMPING IN
Reigning MAAC Offensive Player of the Week Jessica Jankowski is in the midst of the most productive stretch of her four-year career as she has notched seven points (three goals, one assist) over the last two games played. Coming off a career-high five point effort (two goals, one assist) in a 4-2 win over Saint Peter's, Jankowski notched the lone QU goal in a 3-1 defeat at UMass Lowell. Before the two-game surge, Jankowski had notched five points in her first 38 career appearances for the Bobcats. In addition, her five-point effort at SPU went down as the highest scoring output for a Bobcat in a single-game since Furtuna Velaj tallied a hat trick against Dartmouth on Sept. 17, 2010 (86 game stretch).
GOING FOR GOALS
Quinnipiac's first MAAC win of 2015 came in a 4-2 win over Saint Peter's on Sept. 26. The four goals for the Bobcats marked the most goals scored in a single-game for the Bobcats since Oct. 5, 2012 (45 game stretch) when Quinnipiac defeated Wagner, 4-1, on the road.
FONTAINE OF YOUTH
One of the highest scorers in the MAAC this season has been Quinnipiac's Jess Fontaine. Normally a facilitator out of the center midfield position, Fontaine just wrapped up the most successful month of her three-year career in Sept. as she notched nine points (three goals, three assists) through seven games for the Bobcats. That nine-point total marks the highest scoring month for any Bobcat since Furtuna Velaj's senior season in 2011 while her single month scoring total also matched her single-season career-high set last year. Another notable accomplishment for the junior was her career-long four-game scoring streak which ran from Aug. 28 – Sept. 13.
AWARD SEASON
Through six weeks of the 2015 season, Quinnipiac has now seen four individual weekly conference award winners which is tied with Siena for the most honorees in the MAAC this season. Nadya Gill was named Offensive Player of the Week (Aug. 31) as well as Rookie of the Week (Sept. 7). Jess Gargan picked up Rookie of the Week (Sept. 14) honors and Jankowski joined the mix with her Offensive Player of the Week honor (Sept. 28).
IMPORTANT IRELAND IMPORT
Freshman Jess Gargan recently had her goal scoring streak snapped at two against Rider, just five days after receiving MAAC Rookie of the Week honors for the first time in her career. Against UAlbany, Gargan scored the Bobcats' lone goal in a defeat at the hands of the Great Danes. Her first career tally in the game prior against Maine also stood up as the game-winning goal.
THAT ESCALATED QUICKLY
Quinnipiac's offensive outburst this season continued against Maine as the Bobcats scored three goals in the first 27:11 of play and went on to defeat Maine, 3-1. The three-goal first half barrage marked the first time Quinnipiac posted three goals in the first stanza since scoring three against Wagner on Oct. 5, 2012 in what resulted in a 4-1 victory.
I MEAN IT REALLY GOT OUT OF HAND FAST
Quinnipiac's three-goal first half featured the fastest recorded goal this season as Jess Fontaine found the back of the net just 1:25 into play. The Bobcats' last goal scored within the first two minutes of play came back on Sept. 30, 2011 as Furtuna Velaj scored at 1:57 in a 4-2 win over Fairleigh Dickinson.
FONTAINE OF YOUTH
Several Bobcats experienced career-firsts in the 3-1 win over Maine on Sept. 13, starting with the first career multi-goal game for Jess Fontaine. The Bobcats' active career scoring leader, with nine goals and eight assists in 41 career appearances, now has a team-leading 10 points (three goals, four assists) through nine games this season. The midfielder has either scored or assisted on 43.8 percent of the Bobcats' goals while she already set her single-season career high total.
GARGAN-TUAN GOAL
Among the other career firsts from the 3-1 victory over Maine included the first career goal and first career game-winning tally for freshman Jess Gargan. With two assists already on the season, Gargan's first goal came less than six minutes into play as she now ranks fourth on the team with six points in 2015.
POINTS APLENTY
Through nine games, the Bobcats have scored 1 goals and tallied 18 assists. Individually, Quinnipiac has 11 players who've registered at least one point and nine players with at least two points in 2015. The only schools in the MAAC that has more players with at least two points are Siena (13) and Canisius (11) as Quinnipiac is tied with Saint Peter's for third place.
HIGH RANKING
Quinnipiac's freshman striker Nadya Gill finds herself in some elite company as she became the first player in program history to have her first three career goals all go down as game-winners for the Bobcats. Her three game-winning tallies in 2015 also has her ranked high on the national leaderboard as she is tied for 19th in the nation in game-winning goals.
HISTORY MADE
The history-making debut season continued for Nadya Gill, as she is the first Bobcat freshman since Furtuna Velaj in the 2008 season to record at least three goals and three game-winning goals in her opening season as a Bobcat. Gill's success through her first four games is unmatched in Quinnipiac women's soccer history as she is the first player to have each of her first three career goals go down as the game-winning tally.
GIVE THE ROOK HER DUE
Another Bobcat dominating in her first season on the team has been freshman center back Sarahkate Norton. Through nine games in 2015, Norton leads all field players in minutes played this season (813) as she has played all but five minutes of action through the first nine games of her career. Norton has been one of the backbones for a steady defensive effort thus far that has allowed 6.2 shots-on-goal per game.
GOING BACK-TO-BACK
A week after earning the MAAC's Offensive Player of the Week award, Nadya Gill picked up her second straight weekly conference honor as she was named the MAAC Rookie of the Week on Sept. 7. Gill continued the torrid start to her career as she became the Bobcats' first back-to-back weekly award winner since Velaj was named Northeast Conference Rookie of the Week in consecutive weeks from Sept. 22-29, 2008.
KEEP THE W'S COMING
Quinnipiac is off to their best start since the 2012 season when they started the year 6-2-1 on their way to a 9-6-1 season in their final year in the Northeast Conference. Quinnipiac's road victory against Delaware State was its first away from the QU Soccer Field since Sept. 21, 2013 when they defeated Saint Peter's, 3-0, and the first non-conference road win since Sept. 2, 2012 when they knocked off Holy Cross, 1-0. Already with two road wins in 2015, the Bobcats have compiled more road wins this season than the previous two seasons combined.
OFFENSIVE OUTBURST
Offensive output certainly hasn't been the Bobcats' weakness through the first nine games of 2015 as Quinnipiac has already scored 16 goals, including at least two goals scored in five of nine games this season. The average of 1.78 goals per game through seven games to start a season is the highest goals per game average for the Bobcats in any single-season since the 2007 campaign where QU scored 22 goals (2.44 goals per game) through the first nine contests.
OFFENSIVE OUTBURST (CONT.)
Perhaps even more impressive is the Bobcats' scoring streak hit six straight games to start the 2015 season in which QU has scored at least one goal. The last time the Bobcats started a season with a longer goal scoring streak was the 2001 campaign wherein QU scored at least one goal in all 18 games.
MAAC ATTACK
Through nine games in 2015, Quinnipiac ranks in the top half of the league in all major offensive categories. With 11 goals scored in seven games, the Bobcats rank 5th in the MAAC in goals per game (1.57), 2nd in assists per game (2.14) and 5th in goals against average (1.57). Individually, Jess Fontaine is tied for 5th in the MAAC in points (nine), 5th in points per game (1.29), tied for 6th in goals (three), tied for 6th in goals per game (0.43) and tied for 4th in assists (three) and assists per game (0.43). Nadya Gill sits 3rd in the MAAC in shots per game (3.43), tied for 7th in points per game (1.00), tied for 6th in goals per game (0.43) and tied for 1st in game-winning goals (three). Natalia Grodzki has the 6th-best GAA in the MAAC (1.55) and also sits 8th in save percentage (.732).
YOUTH MOVEMENT
After bringing in a single-season program record 13 freshmen this offseason, Quinnipiac has reloaded in a big way as nine freshmen have entered in at least one game so far this season while seven rookies have played in all nine games in 2014. Seven of the Bobcats' 16 goals (44 percent) and six of the team's 18 assists (33 percent) have been notched by QU freshmen this season.
NADYA GILL THE THRILL
Freshman Nadya Gill made history on Aug. 31 as she was named the MAAC Women's Soccer Offensive Player of the Week. Gill became the first Quinnipiac women's soccer weekly award winner since Natalia Grodzki was named the Defensive Player of the Week twice in 2013, most recently on Oct. 28, 2013. Gill is also the first offensive player to win Player of the Week honors since Kemeshaa Woodfine on Sept. 4, 2012 and is the first rookie to be named Player of the Week since Furtuna Velaj on Oct. 6, 2008, both awards coming when the Bobcats were still a member of the Northeast Conference.
WHAT A DEBUT
Nadya Gill started her Bobcat career off with a bang as she tucked home the game-winning goal 7:46 into overtime for the Bobcats. She is the first Quinnipiac women's soccer player to have her first career goal result in the game-winner since Furtuna Velaj in 2008. Gill fired a game-high six shots and three on goal for the Bobcats against Holy Cross.
MAD-NESS
Gill was not the only freshman to tally goal in the season opener for the Bobcats as Madison Borowiec registered her first career goal with just 19 seconds remaining in the first half to provide the Bobcats with the equalizer heading into halftime. Borowiec was the first freshman since Jessica Fontaine in 2013 to score the first goal of the season for the Bobcats.
STARTING OFF THE SEASON RIGHT
Quinnipiac started off the season on a high note with its 2-1, overtime victory over the Holy Cross Crusaders on Monday. It is the first time since the 2012 season in which the Bobcats opened up the season with a win. In 2012, the Bobcats opened up the season 3-0, starting with a 1-0 win over the Providence Friars.
SENIOR ANCHOR
Goalkeeper Natalia Grodzki had a strong senior season debut for the Bobcats, making six saves in a victory over Holy Cross. It was the eighth time in her career that she had recorded at least six saves, most recently recording six saves on Oct. 22, 2014 against Manhattan. Grodzki followed that up with a two-save shutout against Delaware State to up his career win total to eight while also tallying her fifth career clean sheet. She then notched five saves to pick up her third win of the season and ninth of her career at Vermont.
UP NEXT
Quinnipiac hits the road for a Wednesday night kickoff at Marist, followed by Senior Day Saturday at home against MAAC power Monmouth.
Players Mentioned
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