QU Women's Soccer in Search of MAAC Road Win at Manhattan on Wednesday Night

Wednesday, October 5

Gaelic Park - Riverdale, NY

7:00 PM

Quinnipiac University

Manhattan

QU Women's Soccer in Search of MAAC Road Win at Manhattan on Wednesday Night

10/4/2016 11:09:00 AM | Women's Soccer

Bobcats Just 1-4-1 Away From Home in 2016, Looking to Stretch Win Streak to Three Straight

By: QU Sports Information

Quinnipiac Bobcats (6-4-1, 2-2 MAAC) at
Manhattan Jaspers (4-7, 2-2 MAAC)
Wednesday, October 5, 2016 • 7:00 PM
Gaelic Park • Riverdale, NY
All-Time Series vs. Manhattan: 2-4

The Quinnipiac women's soccer team put together just the run they needed at home and the Bobcats now look to carry that momentum into a crucial road game Wednesday night at Manhattan from Gaelic Park at 7 PM. Armed with a 5-0 mark at home in 2016, Quinnipiac stands just 1-4-1 in games played outside of Hamden this season and come in looking to create some separation from a Manhattan team that comes in with an identical 2-2 mark in conference play nearing the midway mark of the MAAC slate.

ALL-TIME AGAINST MANHATTAN (2-4)

These two newfound conference foes have met four times over the last three seasons, incredibly with each game ending in a 1-0 result
Quinnipiac won the first meeting as conference foes back in 2013 when Jess Fontaine tallied the game's lone goal as the Bobcats defeated the Jaspers, 1-0, at home
The two sides met again in the 2013 season as Quinnipiac fell to the Jaspers, 1-0, in the MAAC Tournament as all teams in the conference advanced to the postseason
Another very defensive struggle ensued in 2014 with just 15 shots attempted on both sides as the Jaspers took the 1-0 victory in the only meeting in the all-time series from the Bronx
Quinnipiac limited a strong Manhattan squad that advanced to the MAAC Championship game in 2015 as the teams traded blows before Erica Modena struck for the golden goal in the first overtime stanza to come away with the 1-0 victory
In that meeting last season, Quinnipiac's defense was stellar throughout holding Manhattan to just six attempted shots with the one shot on-target not coming until overtime with Modena's game-winner

SCOUTING REPORT: MANHATTAN

Manhattan (4-7, 2-2 MAAC) comes in having suffered a 1-0 road defeat at Canisius last weekend but prior to that loss had won three of their last four contests
The Jaspers have been an up-and-down team all season as Manhattan has been shutout in all seven of their losses this season
Manhattan has also suffered five 1-0 losses this season including four coming in non-conference play
The Jaspers are the lone team in the conference that hasn't attempted at least 100 shots this season as Manhattan ranks a distant last in the MAAC in shots (92) and shots per game (8.36)
Defensively, Manhattan has been solid as the Jaspers sit fourth in the conference in goals-against average (1.17) and saves per game (5.36)
Olivia Printy has been the primary goalkeeper this season having played in all 11 games while posting a 1.13 GAA, .825 save percentage, 4-6 record and two combined shutouts on the season
Printy's .825 save percentage ranks third in the conference while her GAA is fifth-best in the MAAC
Erica Modena makes the Manhattan offense go as she leads the team with seven points on three goals and one assist
Modena was a 2015 MAAC First Teamer at the forward position after finishing as one of the top offensive forces in the nation, finishing second in the conference and 28^th nationally with 13 goals
Her 13 tallies in 2015 tied for third in school history and were also the most by a Manhattan player since 1998

OFFENSIVE JUGERNAUTS
The offensive side of the ball has been the Bobcats' forte all season long as Quinnipiac comes into Wednesday's contest ranking second in the MAAC in goals (22) and goals per game (2.00) while sitting first in assists (24), assists per game (2.18) and points per game (6.18). Jess Fontaine (4G, 5A), Ally Grunstein (3G, 6A) and Nadya Gill (4G, 2A) all rank in the top 10 in the MAAC in points and points per game while Gill is tied for the lead in the conference in game-winning goals with two. At least two Bobcats are ranked in the top 10 of every major offensive statistical category in the conference.

POWERFUL PLAYMAKER
A sensation in her first season as a Bobcat, freshman Ally Grunstein currently ranks second on the team with 12 points on three goals and a MAAC-leading six assists. Her assist total not only ranks first in the MAAC but she also stands tied for 19^th in the nation and second among freshmen in assists per game (0.55). Dynamic with the ball, Grunstein has done her damage primarily off the bench as she ranks ninth on the team in minutes played (569) and has started only five-of-11 games in 2016.

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

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), Marist (11) and Siena (10). The seven remaining MAAC teams are all in the single digits.

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 six of their wins this season. Overall on the season, Quinnipiac is 6-2 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.

HEAVYWEIGHTS AT HOME
Quinnipiac ran its home unbeaten streak to five straight to open the 2016 with a 3-0 victory over Marist on Saturday. Currently, the Bobcats are the lone team in the MAAC that hasn't lost at home in 2016. With the 5-0 record in Hamden this season, the last time the Bobcats started 5-0 at home came all the way back in 2007 where Quinnipiac started 5-0 at home and finished with a 5-1-2 mark at the QU Soccer Field.

MOVIN ON UP
With her assist on Ally Grunstein's game-winner against Fairfield, Jess Fontaine made a move up the Top 10 all-time career record list at Quinnipiac with 16 career assists. She is now in sole possession of in a tie with Furtuna Velaj '12 for eighth place all-time in program history. Just one more assist would give her the most career assists by any individual player in the last 15 years of the program while three more would place her into the Top 5 all-time at Quinnipiac.

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 back line for the last two games and has helped turn around the Bobcat defense which has allowed just one goal in the last two games combined. Gargan has also tallied one assist in each of the last two games from her defensive position 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. Caruso's second goal of 2016 gives her six over her four-year career while the last four straight have come off set pieces.

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.

CAPTAIN CLUTCH
Nadya Gill continues to show a flair for the dramatic as her tally in the 19^th minute at Bryant served as game-winner in a 1-0 victory for the Bobcats. That game-winning tally stands as her team and MAAC-leading fourth goal of 2016 and second game-winner of the season. Through 28 games in her career, Gill has accumulated 12 goals and five assists for 29 points (1.04 per game). Incredibly, seven of Gill's 12 career goals have gone down as game-winners.

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 22 goals through 11 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 25 assists through 11 games for a per-game average (2.27) that sits tied for 20^th in the nation.

WEEKLY AWARD RUN
Through seven weeks of the 2016 season, the Bobcats ran a streak of three straight weeks in which Quinnipiac saw a player take home a MAAC weekly award. Olivia Myszewski and Ally Grunstein started the run with back-to-back MAAC Rookie of the Week award and Sarah Pandolfi took home her first career weekly honor as she was named Offensive Player of the Week. Pandolfi joined Nadya Gill and Jessica Jankowski (both during 2015) as just the third Bobcat since Quinnipiac joined the MAAC in 2013 to take home the conference's Offensive Player of the Week award. Most recently, Grunstein won her MAAC-leading second Rookie of the Week honor as the Bobcats have won three-of-seven possible MAAC Rookie of the Week award this season.

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.

UTILIZING THE YOUTH
Through 11 games in 2016, 12 of the 22 (54.5 percent) Bobcat goals on the season have been scored by underclassmen. Sophomores Nadya Gill (four), Al Pelletier (two), Katrina Friedman (two) and Madison Borowiec (one) combine with freshmen Ally Grunstein (three) for 12 of the team's goals this season. The upperclassmen to score in 2016 have been Jess Fontaine (four), Sarah Pandolfi (three), Kelly Caruso (two) and Carly Glaser (one).

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.