Quinnipiac University
Albany
QU Women's Lacrosse Drops 2015 Season Opener to Albany, 21-5
2/21/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Lacrosse
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- Quinnipiac vs. Albany - Game Replay
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HAMDEN, Connecticut – The ferocious cold and wind wasn't the only challenge the Quinnipiac women's lacrosse team had to deal with on Saturday afternoon as regional power Albany stepped onto the QU Lacrosse Turf Field and defeated the Bobcats, 21-5, in the 2015 season opener for both teams.
"Although the outcome wasn't what we wanted, we saw some positives to build upon as we move forward," said Quinnipiac head coach Danie Caro. "Some of our younger players contributed significant minutes and gained experience, and we battled for 60 minutes."
Facing off against a Great Danes squad that ended last season with a record of 14-3, the Bobcats were facing a tall task going up against one of the most dangerous offensive units in the nation.
Among the contributors for Quinnipiac included the two senior captains Kyra Ochwat (Farmingdale, N.Y.) and Vicki Kuhn (East Hampstead, N.H.). After scoring the lone two goals in a 16-2 loss last season to Albany, Ochwat again factored heavily throughout the afternoon finishing with three points (two goals, one assist). Ochwat upped her career point to 163, passing Devon Gibney '12 (162) for 5th place on the all-time list at Quinnipiac. She also has tallied at least three points in 10 straight games dating back to March 20 last season against Bryant.
Kuhn, meanwhile, had a tall task herself but she limited the reigning America East Offensive Player of the Year and Inside Lacrosse Preseason Third Team All-American Rachel Bowles to just three points (two goals, one assist) She also drove the length of the field on one rush upfield and tallied her fifth career assist on a goal from Aileen Carey (Long Beach, N.Y.).
"Vicki did a really nice job against Rachel Bowles, last year's America East Offensive Player of the Year, holding her to just two goals and one assist," Caro said. "And Carly Knowles really stepped up and played well defensively, especially in the second half."
Playing in her first career game, Knowles saw plenty of time in the Bobcats' defensive groupings, finished with her first career caused turnover and helped force the Great Danes into nine turnovers for the game.
The remaining Bobcats to register points on the day included Kelly Babstock (Mississauga, Ontario) and Kelsey Mumford (Bow, N.H.) who each finished with one goal as well as Kathleen DeVito (Glastonbury, Conn.) who tallied an assist on an Ochwat player-up goal in the first half. The goal for Mumford was the second of her career while Babstock posted her 15th career tally.
Quinnipiac held their own in the draw controls, as Babstock and freshman Kayla Murphy (Garden City, N.Y.) each finished with five draw controls. Junior Shana Maglio (Garden City, N.Y.) and freshman Kiera Kelly (West Islip, N.Y.) also contributed solid numbers with three ground balls each.
"Our offense did a good job today in terms of maintaining their poise and working to create scoring opportunities," Caro said. "But we need to do a better job with our shot selection and our ability to finish needs to improve."
Albany took control right from the jump as the Great Danes scored the first seven goals, including the first tally just 30 seconds from the opening draw. Maureen Keggins was all over the field, scoring three of the first seven Albany goals (assisting on another) on her way to finishing with a nine-point game (five goals, four assists).
Quinnipiac jumped back into the thick of things as Babstock worked her way around the back of the cage and splitting a double team along the far post. After finding some shooting space, the backhanded shot attempt across her body found nothing but net for the first QU goal of the 2015 season.
Ochwat followed that up for back-to-back Bobcat goals as she found open space in the middle of the Albany defensive zone and finished off an impressive find from DeVito to make it 7-2 halfway through the first half.
From that point forward, however, the game was controlled by Albany as the Great Danes scored six straight goals to end the half leading, 13-2. Freshman goalkeeper Kyle Larkin (Holbrook, N.Y.) flashed some signs of brilliance, finishing with eight saves on 24 shots, but took the loss against the high-powered Albany attack. Senior Samantha Tilts (Port Washington, N.Y.) entered midway through the second half and tallied three saves on eight shots.
"Defensively, we need to work on communicating better and playing as a unit," Caro said. "We have to make our opponents work hard for every scoring chance they get, and minimize the number of second chances we give them."
Play evened out slightly in the second half as Ochwat started the scoring with an unassisted tally 1:29 into the stanza, followed later by Bobcat goals from Mumford and Carey in the middle stages of the half. Albany picked up eight more second half goals to finish off the 21-5 victory.
"We have a number of things to work on as we prepare for our game against Yale," Caro said. "We expect them to be a skilled team that plays tough, so we'll need to be mentally prepared to match their intensity in order to compete for 60 minutes."
The Bobcats move on to their game at Yale which is scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 25 with play set to begin at 4:00 PM from Reese Stadium.
Contact: Maxx McNall; maxx.mcnall@quinnipiac.edu
