QU Women's Soccer Set to Clash with First Place Monmouth on Saturday Night

Saturday, October 15

Hesse Field on The Great Lawn - West Long Branch, NJ

7:00 PM

Quinnipiac University

Monmouth

QU Women's Soccer Set to Clash with First Place Monmouth on Saturday Night

10/14/2016 2:43:00 PM | Women's Soccer

Two Hottest Teams in the MAAC - Bobcats (Five Straight Wins) and Hawks (Six Straight Win) - Prepare for Prime-Time Showdown

By: QU Sports Information

Quinnipiac Bobcats (9-4-1, 5-2 MAAC) at
Monmouth Hawks (9-4-1, 6-0 MAAC)
Saturday, October 15, 2016 • 7:00 PM
Hesse Field on the Great Lawn • West Long Branch, NJ
All-Time Series vs. Monmouth: 7-12-2

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Something has to give on Saturday night as the two hottest teams in the MAAC are set to clash for a 7 PM kickoff. The Quinnipiac women's soccer team and Monmouth are longtime conference rivals dating back to when both programs were members of the Northeast Conference. Since both teams made the move to the MAAC in 2013, these two sides have met up for some thrilling contests as all three meetings have been decided by one goal or less and two of the three have gone into double overtime.

ALL-TIME AGAINST MONMOUTH (7-12-2)

These two long-time conference rivals will be meeting for the 22^nd time on Saturday, all of which coming as conference opponents (NEC and MAAC)
After dominating the series in the beginning (4-1 record), Quinnipiac has defeated the Hawks just twice in the last 12 contests (2-8-2)
Luckily for the Bobcats, they're coming off a thrilling double overtime 3-2 home win over then-undefeated Monmouth last season that goes down as just the second win for Quinnipiac over the Hawks since 2005
Monmouth controlled the run of play last season and finished with a 20-8 advantage in shots but goals from Jess Gargan and Nicole Eriksen in regulation was followed by Nadya Gill's game-winner in the second overtime period
Even with Monmouth's dominance in recent history, Quinnipiac has recorded a 2-2-1 record in the last five meetings and are ahead on goals scored (5-4) in those five contests against the Hawks
Quinnipiac has struggled on the road against Monmouth as they come in with a 2-7 record in West Long Branch while they stand 4-5-2 at home

SCOUTING REPORT: MONMOUTH

Monmouth (9-4-1, 6-0 MAAC) comes in having won their last six straight games (all in MAAC play) by a combined score of 28-2
The Hawks had outscored their first five conference foes 24-0 prior to defeating Siena, 4-2, on Wednesday
A regional powerhouse program, Monmouth stands with an incredible mark of 32-2-2 in regular season conference competition since joining the MAAC in 2013
The Bobcats have fared quite well in games against the Hawks as Quinnipiac is 1-1-1 in games played against Monmouth since the two sides joined the league
Monmouth leads the MAAC in seemingly every major statistical category including goals per game (2.79), shots per game (17.21), goals-against average (0.83), shutouts (eight) and corners per game (8.43)
Monmouth tends to jump out quickly as the Hawks have outscored their opposition 21-4 in the first halves of games compared to 18-7 in the second half
The Hawks have outshot their opposition by a combined total of 241-86 in games this season
For all the damage the Hawks are doing in league play, Monmouth struggled out of conference as they wrapped up non-conference play with a mark of 3-4-1
Madie Gibson has burst onto the scene this season as she leads the Hawks in scoring with 21 points on eight goals and five assists in 14 games
Preseason MAAC Player of the Year Alexis McTamney has put together another standout season as she has racked up 17 points on five goals and seven assists
A MAAC-leading five Hawks come in with double-digit point totals as Rachelle Ross (5G, 2A), Miranda Konstantinides (4G, 4A) and Rachael Ivanicki (4G, 2A) all have compiled at least 10 points
Julie Spracklin (3G, 3A) and Alli DeLuca (4G) are also knocking on the door to the 10-point plateau
Amanda Knaub has been the top keeper in the MAAC all season as she comes in sporting a slight 0.40 goals-against average with an 8-1-1 record and .826 save percentage
Knaub has allowed just four goals in 11 games and 908 minutes this season
She has tallied an individual or combined shutout in eight-of-11 appearances in 2016

PLAYOFF PICTURE
With three conference games remaining on the schedule, Quinnipiac can take a giant step towards clinching a spot in the 2016 MAAC Tournament with a victory over Monmouth. Currently third in the MAAC table with 15 points, a Quinnipiac victory would give the Bobcats 18 points with two games remaining. Four teams below the Bobcats in the standings – Marist (four games remaining), Niagara (three), Fairfield (four) and Iona (four) – all have at least four points and would have to come up with at least 12 points while the Bobcats would have to lose-out in order to pass Quinnipiac in the standings.

WIN PARADE
Significant on many levels, Wednesday's victory for Quinnipiac marked the Bobcats' fifth straight win and seventh straight at home. The Bobcats' five-game win streak stands as the longest for Quinnipiac in a single-season since an eight-game unbeaten streak back in the 2007 season.

FEWER SHOTS = FEWER GOALS
Quinnipiac's defense has picked up considerably over the last five games as the Bobcats ran a three-game shutout streak and have allowed just three goals in their current five-game win streak. An important stat to consider, through the first nine games of the season the Bobcats allowed 127 attempted shots from their opponents (14.1 per game) but in the last five games opponents have attempted only 39 shots (7.8 per game). In that five-game stretch, Quinnipiac's primary keeper Olivia Myszewski has seen her goals-against average lower from a season-high 1.38 to 0.98 heading into Saturday's contest.

SHUTOUT STREAK
Quinnipiac saw its shutout streak come to an end on Wednesday in a 3-2 win over Iona. After allowing a goal from Fairfield with 26:47 remaining in the second half, the Bobcats held three straight opponents scoreless until Iona struck in the 71^st minute. The three-game shutout span is tied for the second-longest in program history as the Bobcats last accomplished that feat in the 2012 season. The scoreless streak of 367:15 ranks as the second-longest in program history as the record came back in the 1999 season where the Bobcats held their opposition off the scoresheet for four consecutive games.

OFFENSIVE JUGERNAUTS
The offensive side of the ball has been the Bobcats' forte all season long as Quinnipiac comes into Saturday's contest ranking second in the MAAC in goals (29), goals per game (2.07) and points per game (6.57) as well as first in assists (35) and assists per game (2.50). Jess Fontaine (4G, 8A), Nadya Gill (7G, 3A) and Ally Grunstein (4G, 6A) all rank in the top 10 in the MAAC in points and points per game while Gill is tied for the league-lead in game-winning goals with three. At least two Bobcats are ranked in the top 10 of every major offensive statistical category in the conference.

POINTS ALL AROUND
Continuing on the offensive theme, 15 different Bobcats have registered at least one point this season, a total that easily leads the MAAC. The only conference foes to see as many as 10 players notch at least one point in 2016 is Monmouth (13), Siena (12), Marist (11) and Rider (10). The six remaining MAAC teams are all in the single digits.

FONTAINE OF YOUTH
Two more assists for Jess Fontaine coming in a 3-0 win over Canisius gives her a team-leading 16 points (four goals, eight assists) on the season. Her team and MAAC-leading eight assists on the season not only lead both categories but her assist total is tied for eighth in the nation while she is tied for 14^th in assists per game (0.57). Fontaine saw her career-long four-game point streak snapped against Iona but she managed to post eight points (two goals, four assists) in that career-long scoring span.

MOVIN ON UP
With her two assists against Canisius, Jess Fontaine made a move up the Top 10 all-time career record list at Quinnipiac with 19 career assists. She now sits in sole possession of fifth place all-time in career assists at Quinnipiac. The four players ahead of Fontaine on the all-time leaderboard all graduated prior to 2001, giving Fontaine the most assists by a single-player in the last 15 years and the most-ever by a four-year Division I Bobcat as Quinnipiac moved into the NCAA Div. I ranks in 1998.

LITTLE AL DOING BIG THINGS
Sophomore forward Al Pelletier had herself a dominant performance in the Bobcats' 3-0 win over Canisius as she notched one goal and one assist, including her second game-winning tally of the season. After going for three points in the season-opening 2-1 win over Toledo (8/19), Pelletier had only notched one goal in a span of nine games before her first career multi-assist game came against Marist (10/1). Just one year removed from recording one goal in 10 games played during her rookie season, Pelletier has been incredible in 2016 with 10 points on three goals and four assists.

HEAVYWEIGHTS AT HOME
Quinnipiac ran its home unbeaten streak to seven straight to open 2016 with a 3-2 victory over Iona on Wednesday. Currently, the Bobcats are the lone team in the MAAC that hasn't lost at home in 2016. With the 7-0 record in Hamden this season, the Bobcats now own the second-longest home unbeaten streak to start a season in program history. Quinnipiac rolled with a record of 11-0 at home in 1999 which stands as the lone season in program history in which the Bobcats finished unbeaten in a single-season at home.

NEWFOUND DEFENSIVE IDENTITY
Quinnipiac hasn't seen their defense perform better all season than in the last five-game stretch as the Bobcats have allowed just three goals in the last five games and posted shutouts in three-of-five contests. Since making a move to put Jess Gargan at center back and Mackenzie Tibball at left fullback, the Bobcats have gone on a five-game win streak and excelled defensively. Opponents combine for just 39 shots (7.8 per game) and 19 on-target (3.8 per game) in that time frame.

FIRST ON THE BOARD
Scoring first has been one of the biggest indicators to the Bobcats' success in 2016 as Quinnipiac has scored the game's first goal in all nine of their wins this season. Overall on the season, Quinnipiac is 9-2 in games in which the Bobcats have scored first while their record stands 0-2-1 in the three games where the opponent opens the scoring.

UTILIZING THE YOUTH
Through 14 games in 2016, 18 of the 29 (62.1 percent) Bobcat goals on the season have been scored by underclassmen. Sophomores Nadya Gill (seven), Al Pelletier (three), Katrina Friedman (two) and Madison Borowiec (two) combine with freshmen Ally Grunstein (four) for 18 of the team's goals this season. The upperclassmen to score in 2016 have been Jess Fontaine (four), Sarah Pandolfi (three), Kelly Caruso (three) and Carly Glaser (one).

WEEKLY AWARD RUN
Quinnipiac currently leads all MAAC teams with three combined Rookie of the Week honors while Olivia Myszewski most-recently won the first Defensive Player of the Week award for the Bobcats since Oct. 28, 2013. The Bobcats are currently tied with Rider for the most total weekly award (five) this season.

Offensive Player of the Week – Sarah Pandolfi (Sept. 5)
Defensive Player of the Week – Olivia Myszewski (Oct. 10)
Rookie of the Week – Olivia Myszewski (Aug. 22), Ally Grunstein (Aug. 29, Oct. 3)

CRAZY RESULT
Quinnipiac's 1-0 road win over Manhattan was significant on many levels as the decision marked the first 1-0 league win since the Bobcats defeated Manhattan by the same score at home back on Oct. 23, 2013 (25 games ago). An even more impressive mark is the one-goal win marked the first 1-0 league road victory for the Bobcats since defeating Central Connecticut State as a member of the Northeast Conference, 1-0, back on Oct. 21, 2001 (72 games ago).

POWERFUL PLAYMAKER
A sensation in her first season as a Bobcat, freshman Ally Grunstein sits third on the team with 14 points on four goals and six assists. Her assist total not only ranks tied for second in the MAAC but she also stands tied for 58^th in the nation and tied for fifth among freshmen in assists per game (0.43). Dynamic with the ball, Grunstein has done her damage primarily off the bench as she ranks ninth on the team in minutes played (705) and has started only five-of-14 games in 2016.

CAPTAIN CLUTCH
Nadya Gill continues to show a flair for the dramatic as her tally in the 53^rd minute at Manhattan served as game-winner in a 1-0 victory for the Bobcats. That game-winning tally stands as her team-leading fifth goal of 2016 and third game-winner of the season. Through 31 games in her career, Gill has accumulated 15 goals and six assists for 36 points (1.16 per game). Incredibly, eight of Gill's 15 career goals (53.3 percent) have gone down as game-winners.

HARPING ON THE D
Quinnipiac put on a defensive clinic in a 3-0 win over Marist as the Bobcats shutout a team averaging 1.90 goals per game heading into the contest while holding the Red Foxes to just seven total shots including one in the first half. The leading scorer in the MAAC coming into play – Camille Bowen (9 G, 1A) – was held without a shot for just the second time all season.

GARGANTUAN MOVE
After struggling with injuries throughout non-conference play, 2015 MAAC All-Rookie Team selection Jess Gargan moved to the center back position for the last four games and has helped turn around the Bobcat defense which has allowed just one goal in the those four contests. Gargan has also tallied two assists from her new defensive positioning to pick up her first points of 2016.

FOR THE FIRST TIME
Primarily a role player throughout her career, Carly Glaser had a shining moment in the Bobcats' 3-0 win over Marist as the junior punched home her first career goal in the 43^rd minute to start the scoring in the team's three-goal victory. Playing in her 29^th career game, Glaser recorded her first career tally which ultimately went down as the game-winning goal on the afternoon. She joins Nadya Gill from last season as the first Bobcats since Furtuna Velaj '12 in 2008 to see their first career goal be a game-winner.

CARUSO CARRESSING IT IN
Kelly Caruso opened the scoring with a penalty kick tally in the Bobcats' 2-1 win over Fairfield, a goal that stands as the first penalty kick for Quinnipiac on the season. A free kick specialist, Caruso lined up her shot and drove the ball to the lower right corner as she remains a perfect three-for-three on penalty kicks in her four-year career.

UNCOMMON RESULT
Nadya Gill's tally in the 19^th minute, coupled with a stellar defensive showing from the Bobcats' back line, helped lead the way to a 1-0 victory over Bryant (9/6). Quinnipiac's second clean sheet of 2016 (3-0 vs. UMass Lowell – Aug. 23, 2016) stands as the first 1-0 win for the Bobcats since defeating Vermont by the same score at home back on Sept. 13, 2014. The 1-0 result also marked the first time that the Bobcats have won 1-0 on the road since defeating Holy Cross on Sept. 2, 2012.

IT ALL PANS OUT
A missed 2015 season for Sarah Pandolfi had the Bobcats dealing with the loss of one of the team's main strikers. Two years removed from being just one of two Bobcats to start all 17 games in 2014, Pandolfi blasted home her first goal as a Bobcat in a 3-0 win over UMass Lowell. She recently followed with a career high five points (two goals, one assist) in a 6-2 win over Delaware State to earn her MAAC Offensive Player of the Week honors. A transfer from UMass, Pandolfi finished her freshman year as a Minutewoman with two goals and two assists before transferring to Quinnipiac prior to the start of 2014. In her 2014 season, Pandolfi led the team with 35 shots while adding two assists in her 17 games.

GOALS GALORE
A six-goal outburst carried Quinnipiac past Delaware State (9/4) in dominating fashion, 6-2. Coming into play with an already lethal scoring attack, the Bobcats only padded their stats as Quinnipiac now has 26 goals through 13 games in 2016 for a per-game average of 2.00. The second-highest scoring team in the MAAC reached six goals in a single-game for the first time since defeating Fairfield Dickinson, 6-0, back on Oct. 31, 2010 – the last time Quinnipiac tallied more than six goals in a single-game came all the way back in 1999 when the Bobcats defeated Iona, 7-0.

ASSISTED LIVING
Helping factor into the six-goal explosion against Delaware State was a total of nine assists as a team for the Bobcats which stands as the most accumulated in a single-game in the program's Div. I history. Led by Ally Grunstein's single-game Div. I record three assists, seven players in all racked up at least one helper in the six-goal scoring spree. As a team, the Bobcats have racked up 32 assists through 13 games for a per-game average (2.46) that sits tied for ninth in the nation.

DOUBLE DIPPING
Ally Grunstein factored heavily in the decision against NJIT (8/26) as her first two career goals helped lift the Bobcats to a 2-2 draw after trailing the Highlanders 2-0 midway through the first half. Grunstein immediately vaulted up to a tie with Nadya Gill for first on the team in points and goals while she joins Gill as just the second freshman since 2009 to post a multi-goal game in their freshman campaign.

OVERCOMING THE ODDS
The Bobcats' 2-2 draw against NJIT not only kept Quinnipiac undefeated but it signaled one of the more significant results in recent memory. Prior to Friday's draw, the last time the Bobcats erased a two-goal deficit to either tie or win a game came all the way back on Oct. 3, 2008 when Quinnipiac defeated Robert Morris, 4-3, in double overtime. The near eight-year run spanned an incredible 119 matches since the Bobcats last accomplished the feat.

MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE
Devan Malcolm earned the starting nod for the Bobcats against UMass Lowell and delivered in what was her first career appearance. The sophomore keeper notched five saves to not only pick up the win but also record a clean sheet in her collegiate debut. She became the first Quinnipiac goalkeeper to post a shutout in their first career appearance since Class of 2016 graduate Natalia Grodzki recorded a two-save shutout in her debut against NJIT back on Sept. 7, 2012.

THREE'S COMPANY
Three different goal scorers filled the stat sheet for Quinnipiac as Nadya Gill, Sarah Pandolfi and Madison Borowiec picked up the goals for the Bobcats in a 3-0 win over UMass Lowell. Gill recorded her second goal of 2016 as well as the 10^th of her career and sixth game-winning goal in 19 career appearances. After missing the entire 2015 campaign due to injury, Pandolfi blasted home her first career goal as a Bobcat in the win while Borowiec registered her second career goal and is now tied for second on the team in points with three.

ONE FOR THE RECORD BOOKS
After just one appearance, freshman keeper Olivia Myszewski has already made a little history as her seven saves goes down as the most by a Bobcat goalkeeper in their first career appearance in the program's Div. I era (since 1998). Myszewski's seven saves are the most since Elizabeth Cook notched six in her first career appearance. Myszewski also became the first Bobcat keeper to pick up the victory in a victory in their first career start since Cook helped lead Quinnipiac to a double overtime 1-0 victory back on Oct. 4, 2009.