MAAC Women's Soccer Quarterfinal Preview: #4 Quinnipiac vs. #5 Canisius

Saturday, October 29

Hamden, Conn.

2:00 PM

Quinnipiac University

Canisius

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MAAC Women's Soccer Quarterfinal Preview: #4 Quinnipiac vs. #5 Canisius

10/27/2016 2:00:00 PM | Women's Soccer

#4 Quinnipiac is Set to Host #5 Canisius for First Home Playoff Game in Program History

By: QU Sports Information

MAAC Quarterfinal
#4 Quinnipiac Bobcats (10-6-1, 6-4 MAAC) vs.
#5 Canisius Golden Griffins (8-8, 6-4 MAAC)
Saturday, October 29, 2016 • 2:00 PM
QU Soccer Field • Hamden, CT
All-Time Series vs. Canisius: 3-2-1

FOLLOW THE GAME

The Quinnipiac women's soccer team makes a glorious return back to postseason play as the No. 4 seeded Bobcats play host to the No. 5 seed Canisius for a MAAC Quarterfinal matchup on Saturday. This marks the first time the Bobcats have advanced to the MAAC Tournament in a non-automatic qualifying season since joining the league in 2013. Quinnipiac's first appearance in a conference postseason tournament since 2010 also represents the first home playoff game in program history. The postseason match is slated for 2 PM from the QU Soccer Field.

ALL-TIME AGAINST CANISIUS (3-2-1)

Quinnipiac has won the last two meetings against the Golden Griffins by identical 3-0 scores
Since joining the MAAC in 2013, the Bobcats stand with a record of 2-2 in games against Canisius
This marks the first postseason meeting between both sides
In this year's meeting in Hamden, it was a scoreless game at halftime but three Quinnipiac goals in a matter of 2:27 proved enough in the 3-0 win
Al Pelletier, Nadya Gill and Madison Borowiec scored the three goals in the second half while Jess Fontaine added two assists in the victory
In the last two games played (both 3-0 Quinnipiac victories), the game was scoreless at halftime before the Bobcats score three second half goals to surge past the Golden Griffins
Quinnipiac has held Canisius scoreless over the last 196:30 in the series history
Nine different Bobcats have registered at least one point in their career against Canisius while six different Bobcats have scored at least one goal
QU career scoring leaders vs. Canisius: Jess Fontaine (1 G, 2 A), Nadya Gill (2 G), Al Pelletier (1 G, 1 A), Kelly Caruso (2 A), Jess Gargan (1 G), Sarahkate Norton (1 G), Madison Borowiec (1 G), Mackenzie Tibball (1 A), Joanna Proctor (1 A)

SCOUTING REPORT: CANISIUS

Canisius (8-8, 6-4 MAAC) has been one of the surprise teams in the conference this season as the Golden Griffins were picked to finish ninth in the MAAC Preseason Coaches' Poll coming off a 6-11-2 record in 2015 with a 4-6 mark in conference play
Coming in having won three of their last four games of the season, the Golden Griffins' most-recent 1-0 victory came at home over the MAAC's second place Siena Saints
A solid all-around team this season, Canisius comes in ranking sixth in the MAAC in scoring offense (1.25) while also sitting sixth in goals-against average (1.50)
A second half team in 2016, Canisius has done most of their damage in the final 45 minutes of games this season as just six of the 20 total goals scored for the Golden Griffins have come in the first halves of games
Canisius has scored 12 of their 20 goals in the second half
Freshman Gretta Dry makes the Canisius offense go as she comes in ranking fourth in the MAAC at 1.25 points per game as she has notched 20 points (eight goals, four assists) through 16 games played this season
The highest-scoring freshman in the conference has either scored or assisted on 12-of-20 goals (60 percent) of the Canisius goals in 2016 which easily ranks as the highest percentage in the league
The Canisius offense doesn't present much depth as the Golden Griffins' next-highest leading scorer Sabrina Fitzgerlad comes in with three goals and one assist on the season
Maddie Good is tied with Dry for the team-lead in assists with four
Alana Rossi is the primary keeper for Canisius as she comes in with 1313:50 minutes played while posting a 1.58 goals-against average, 8-8 record, .716 save percentage and 58 saves to go along with five shutouts

CONFERENCE POSTSEASON HISTORY
This season marks just the eighth time in 19 seasons since joining the NCAA Div. I ranks that the Bobcats have advanced to the postseason in a non-automatic qualifying campaign. Quinnipiac owns an all-time mark of 3-6-1 in conference playoff games and own one conference title coming back in 2000 as a member of the Northeast Conference. The last time Quinnipiac won a postseason game came back in the 2000 NEC Championship game as the Bobcats defeated Monmouth, 4-0, to claim the program's only conference title. Since that win, the Bobcats stand with a mark of 0-4-1 with the one draw ending in a 3-1 shootout loss against St. Francis (PA) in the 2010 NEC Semifinals. Currently in the 19^th season as a NCAA Div. I member, this marks the first time in program history Quinnipiac will play a postseason game at home.

BACK IN BUSINESS
Head coach Dave Clarke leads the Bobcats into the MAAC Tournament for the first time in a non-automatic qualifying season since joining the league in 2013. This also marks the first time Quinnipiac has advanced into the conference postseason tournament since 2010 when the Bobcats were a member of the Northeast Conference. Saturday's home playoff game marks the program's first-ever postseason match played in Hamden.

ILLUSIVE DOUBLE DIGIT WIN TOTAL
Quinnipiac wraps up its most successful regular season in 15 years as the Bobcats' 10-6-1 record signals the first double digit win total in a single-season since 2001. The 10-win season already stands as the fourth-most in a single-season since Quinnipiac joined the NCAA Div. I ranks in 1998.

HOME COOKIN
Quinnipiac head into the postseason having rolled to an 8-0 record in games played at home in the regular season. The Bobcats are the lone team in the MAAC that hasn't lost at home in 2016. With the 8-0 record in Hamden this season, the Bobcats 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 at home.

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 (33), goals per game (1.94) and points per game (6.29) as well as second in assists (41) and assists per game (2.41). Nadya Gill (8G, 3A) and Jess Fontaine (5G, 9A) both rank in the top 10 in the MAAC in points and points per game while Gill is tied for second in the league with three game-winning goals. 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 other conference foes to see as many as 10 players notch at least one point in 2016 stands as follows: Monmouth (14), Siena (13), Marist (13), Canisius (12), Rider (11) Iona (11) and Fairfield (11).

NEWFOUND DEFENSIVE IDENTITY
Quinnipiac hasn't seen their defense perform better all season than in the last eight-game stretch as the Bobcats have allowed just eight goals in the last eight games and posted shutouts in three-of-eight contests. Since making a move to put Jess Gargan at center back and Mackenzie Tibball at left fullback, the Bobcats have played to a record of 6-2 and excelled defensively. Opponents combine for 85 shots (10.6 per game) and 45 on-target (5.6 per game) in that time frame.

FIRST ON THE BOARD
Despite going behind early, the Bobcats scored three unanswered goals against Saint Peter's to do something they haven't done all season. 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 nine of their 10 wins this season. The 3-1 win over Saint Peter's marked the first time the Bobcats have gone on to win a game in which they allowed the first goal. Overall on the season, Quinnipiac is 9-3 in games in which the Bobcats have scored first while their record stands 1-3-1 in the five games where the opponent opens the scoring.

UTILIZING THE YOUTH
Through 17 games in 2016, 21 of the 33 (63.6 percent) Bobcat goals on the season have been scored by underclassmen. Sophomores Nadya Gill (eight), Al Pelletier (three), Katrina Friedman (two), Madison Borowiec (two) and Jess Gargan (one) combine with redshirt freshman Kylie Lance (one) and freshman Ally Grunstein (four) for 21 of the team's goals this season. The upperclassmen to score in 2016 have been Jess Fontaine (five), Sarah Pandolfi (three), Kelly Caruso (three) and Carly Glaser (one).

FONTAINE OF YOUTH
Jess Fontaine picked up her fifth goal of the season in a 3-1 win over Saint Peter's which marks a new single-season career high. Tied for the team-lead with 19 points (five goals, nine assists) on the season, her team and MAAC-leading nine assists on the season not only lead both categories but her assist total is tied for sixth in the nation. Fontaine is also tied for seventh in the nation in assists per game (0.56). She led all Bobcats in conference scoring as she posted three goals and five assists for 11 points in 10 league games.

SINGLE-SEASON SUCCESS
Dishing out assists has been Jess Fontaine's forte all season long as she comes into Saturday's contest with nine through 17 games. With at least one game remaining in the season, Fontaine's 2016 assist total is currently tied for fifth on the all-time single-season record list at Quinnipiac and is second in the program's Div. I history (since 1998). Kirsten Van de Van's 2004 total of 11 ranks first since Quinnipiac joined the Div. I ranks.

MOVIN ON UP
With her one assist against Monmouth, Jess Fontaine continues to move up the Top 10 all-time career record list at Quinnipiac with 20 career assists. She 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.

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 third game-winner of the season. Through 34 games in her career, Gill has accumulated 16 goals and six assists for 38 points (1.12 per game). Incredibly, eight of Gill's 16 career goals (50 percent) have gone down as game-winners.

SHOOT TO GILL
Since joining the team as a freshman in 2015, Nadya Gill has racked up 38 career points in 34 games played. Over the last two seasons, Gill is tied for second among all MAAC players in points as she only sits behind Monmouth's Alexis McTamney (42 points). Her two-year goal total (16) also ranks second-highest among all players in the league behind only Manhattan's Erica Modena (17) in that span.

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.

POWERFUL PLAYMAKER
A sensation in her first season as a Bobcat, freshman Ally Grunstein sits third on the team with 16 points on four goals and eight assists. Dynamic with the ball, Grunstein has done her damage primarily off the bench as she ranks 10^th on the team among field players in minutes played (796) and has started only five-of-17 games in 2016.

GRUNSTEIN GRABBING ASSISTS
Ally Grunstein's playmaking skills along the wing have been on full display all season as she sits tied for second in the MAAC with eight assists while she is in sole possession of second place in the league in assists per game (0.47). Her six total assists in 2016 put her tied for seventh on the all-time single-season record list at Quinnipiac and tied for third in the program's Div. I era. She eight total assists also stands as the second-highest single-season total from a freshman in program history.

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 seven games and has helped turn around the Bobcat defense which has allowed just eight goals in the those eight contests. Gargan has also tallied all four of her points in 2016 (one goal, two assists) from her new defensive positioning.

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.

KEEPING HER TEAM ALIVE
Freshman keeper Olivia Myszewski has been playing some of the best soccer of her young career over her last three games as she has posted a career high seven saves in three straight games. After not totaling more than four saves in a MAAC game prior to the three-game stretch, Myszewski needed to step up in the recent stretch to keep her team alive. Myszewski saw only 24 attempted shots (six per game) over the four games prior to her last three wherein opponents combined for 51 attempted shots (17 per game).

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 and Kylie Lance as the first Bobcats since Furtuna Velaj '12 in 2008 to see their first career goal be a game-winner.

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.

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 41 assists through 17 games for a per-game average (2.41) that sits 14^th in the nation.

MANAGING MONMOUTH
Despite falling to Monmouth, 2-1, away from home on Oct. 15, the Bobcats played one of their best games of the season as the undefeated MAAC juggernaut saw one of their league games go into overtime for the first time in 2016. The Bobcats also managed to score first in the second half which marked the first time the Hawks had trailed in a conference game all season. Monmouth had also come into that meeting riding a six-game unbeaten streak in which the Hawks had outscored teams 28-2 (+26 in goal differential).

WIN PARADE
Quinnipiac's longest win streak since the 2007 season was snapped at Monmouth on Oct. 15 as the Bobcats' recorded 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.

SHUTOUT STREAK
Quinnipiac saw its shutout streak come to an end in a 3-2 win over Iona on Oct. 12. After allowing a Fairfield goal 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.

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).

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.

GOALS GALORE
A six-goal outburst carried Quinnipiac past Delaware State (9/4) in dominating fashion, 6-2. 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.

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.

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.