Quinnipiac University
Rider University
Men's Soccer MAAC Championship Preview: No. 1 Quinnipiac vs. No. 2 Rider
11/11/2016 10:02:00 PM | Men's Soccer
No. 1 Quinnipiac Bobcats (13-6, 8-2 MAAC) vs. No. 2 Rider Broncs (13-3-2, 7-1-2 MAAC)
Date: Sunday, Nov. 13, 2016
Time: 1 P.M. (EST)
Location: QU Soccer Field | Hamden, Conn.
All-Time Series vs. Rider: 2-3
FOLLOW THE GAME
HAMDEN, Connecticut – Following a 3-1 win over No. 5 seed Canisius in the MAAC Tournament semifinals on Friday, Nov. 11, top-seeded Quinnipiac men's soccer is set to face off with No. 2 Rider in the MAAC Tournament championship game on Sunday, Nov. 13 at the QU Soccer Field in Hamden. With a win, the Bobcats can advance to their second NCAA Tournament in program history.
LAST TIME OUT
Quinnipiac topped Canisius, 3-1, in the tournament's semifinal round. Rashawn Dally (Bloomfield, Connecticut) had a goal and an assist in the win, while Eamon Whelan (New Fairfield, Connecticut) and Matthew Taylor (Dublin, Ireland) each recorded a goal of their own. William Pustari (North Haven, Connecticut) chipped in with an assist, while goalkeeper Chrysostomos Iakovidis (Thessaloniki, Greece) made three saves in net to help Quinnipiac advance.
LAST MEETING vs. THE BRONCS
Rider topped Quinnipiac, 3-1, on Oct. 29 at the QU Soccer Field - ending the Bobcats' seven-game winning streak in MAAC play. Rashawn Dally (Bloomfield, Connecticut) scored Quinnipiac's lone goal in the first half, but the Broncs rand off three straight goals for the win.
GAME-BY-GAME HISTORY
- Oct. 29, 2016 - Rider 3, Quinnipiac 1 (QU Soccer Field)
- Nov. 6, 2015 - Rider 3, Quinnipiac 0 (ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex)
- Oct. 31, 2015 - Rider 2, Quinnipiac 0 (Ben Cohen Field)
- Oct. 11, 2014 - Quinnipiac 2, Rider 1 (QU Soccer Field)
- Nov. 9, 2013 - Quinnipiac 1, Rider 0 (2OT - Ben Cohen Field)
SCOUTING RIDER
- Elliot Otmani (5G, 6A) and Jose Aguinaga (4G, 8A) lead Rider's offensive attack with 16 points each.
- Clement Bourret has a team-high six goals.
- Senior goalkeeper Ryan Baird (0.91 goals allowed average, .797 save percentage) was named Co-MAAC Goalkeeper of the Year.
HEAD COACH ERIC DA COSTA
- Led Quinnipiac to a 12-6-0 (8-2-0) mark in the 2016 regular season, including a program-record six straight conference wins during the month of October.
- Under Da Costa, the Bobcats have won four regular season conference titles in the last five seasons.
- Brought Quinnipiac to its first-ever NCAA Tournament in 2013.
- Is 88-87-84 over 12 seasons at the program's helm.
2016 REGULAR SEASON
The Bobcats have had a historic 2016 campaign thus far, going 12-6-0 (8-2-0 MAAC) to capture their fourth regular season title in five years (2012 in the Northeast Conference and 2013, 2014 and 2016 in the MAAC). Quinnipiac won seven-straight conference games in the month of October for the first time in program history.
MAAC AWARDS
Seven members of the Quinnipiac men's soccer program earned individual honors at the 2016 MAAC awards banquet held at the TD Bank Sports Center on Thursday, Nov. 10, 2016. Head coach Eric Da Costa was named BSN Sports MAAC Coach of the Year. Da Costa led the Bobcats to a 12-6-0 (8-2-0 MAAC) mark, including a program record six straight conference wins during the month of October. Eamon Whelan (New Fairfield, Connecticut) earned MAAC Rookie of the Year honors. Whelan, Conor McCoy (Newry, Northern Ireland) and Jeppe Haehre (Baerums Verk, Norway) were selected to the First Team All-MAAC, while Rashawn Dally (Bloomfield, Connecticut) and James Doig (Liverpool, England) grabbed Second Team All-MAAC honors. Whelan, McCoy, Haehre and goalkeeper Chrysostomos Iakovidis (Thessaloniki, Greece) were all named to the All-Rookie squad.
AMONG THE REGION'S ELITE
Quinnipiac was voted No. 4 overall in the Northeast Region of the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Division I Poll, as announced on Tuesday, Nov. 8.
HOW THEY RANK NATIONALLY
- Chrysostomos Iakovidis ranks T-No. 16 nationally in save percentage (.833)
- With 10 goals, Eamon Whelan is tied for No. 24 nationally in scores.
SHUTOUTS
With eight team shutouts this year, Quinnipiac ranks No. 1 overall in the MAAC. The Bobcats have blanked Fordham, Lafayette, Yale, St. John's, Manhattan, Canisius, Saint Peter's and Fairfield.
RPI RANKING
Quinnipiac now ranks 67st overall in Division I RPI. The ranking puts the Bobcats in the top 35 percent. They rank first in the MAAC in RPI.
FIRST-RATE FINISHING
After scoring nine goals in the first nine games, the Bobcats have netted 19 goals in the last nine games. Quinnipiac scored three times vs. Marist, four times against Manhattan, once against Canisius, twice vs. Iona, three times vs. Monmouth, three times vs. Siena and once vs. Saint Peter's and Fairfield to close the regular season. Quinnipiac ranks third in the MAAC in goals-per-game (1.56).
WEEKLY AWARD DOMINATION
The Bobcats earned a MAAC Weekly Award in four straight weeks from Oct. 3 - Oct. 24. Eamon Whelan (New Fairfield, Connecticut) was named MAAC Rookie of the Week on Oct. 24, goalkeeper Chrysostomos Iakovidis (Thessaloniki, Greece) was named MAAC Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 17. Whelan earned MAAC Rookie of the Week honors on Oct. 10 and Conor McCoy (Newry, Northern Ireland) earned MAAC Rookie of the Week honors on Oct. 3. Whelan has won three MAAC Rookie of the Week awards so far this year, while Iakovidis has earned two Defensive Player of the Week honors.
GOAL EXPLOSION
Quinnipiac's four-goal performance vs. Manhattan on Wednesday, Oct. 5 at the QU Soccer Field was its highest scoring output of the season, and its largest goal total in more than five years. The last time the Bobcats scored four goals in a game was on Sept. 14, 2011 in a victory over Hartford. QU has also netted three goals in three separate games this year.
COMEBACK KIDS
Quinnipiac has two come-from-behind wins in conference play this season. The Bobcats first come-from behind victory came on Oct. 1, when they battled back from a two-goal deficit to top Marist, 3-2. Since that point, Quinnipiac has gone on to win five straight conference matches – including its latest comeback on the road vs. Iona on Oct. 12.
Player Notes
WHELAN
Eamon Whelan (New Fairfield, Connecticut) was named MAAC Rookie of the Year on Nov. 10, as announced by the league office. He has been named MAAC Rookie of the Week three times so far this season, most recently on Monday, October 17, 2016. He also earned the honors on Oct. 10 and Sept. 19. The freshman has registered a team-high 10 goals (No. 2 in MAAC) and 40 shots so far this year. Whelan netted the Bobcats' first goal of the year against Louisville on Oct. 29, then scored again in a win over Lafayette on Sept. 4 before recording two goals vs. cross-town rival Yale. He recorded Quinnipiac's game-winning, overtime score against Marist, netted two goals against Manhattan, scored against Monmouth, then recorded two penalty-kick goals against Siena. He scored in QU's win over fifth-seeded Canisius in the MAAC semifinal round on Nov. 11.
IAKOVIDIS
Chrysostomos Iakovidis (Thessaloniki, Greece) has started in 17 of Quinnipiac's 19 games this season. He won MAAC Men's Soccer Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 17. The freshman goalkeeper has tallied seven individual shutouts so far (No. 1 in MAAC), and has a 0.88 goals-against average thus far with an .830 save percentage. At this pace, Iakovidis would join the program's all-time single-season Top 10 list in each category:
| Goals Against Average (Top 10) (Minimum 10 games started) | ||
| 1 | 0.64 | Frederick Hall, 2007 |
| 2 | 0.69 | Borja Angoitia, 2014 |
| 3 | 0.70 | Borja Angoitia, 2013 |
| 4 | 0.75 | Frederick Hall, 2009 |
| 5 | 1.01 | Conor Shilcock-Elliott, 2004 |
| 6 | 1.05 | Frederick Hall, 2008 |
| 7 | 1.12 | Borja, Angoitia, 2012 |
| 8 | 1.2 | John Banville, 1987 |
| 9 | 1.35 | Alexander Rullan, 1997 |
| 10 | 1.58 | Josh Lavallee, 2010 |
Save Percentage (Over .800) (Minimum 10 games started) |
||
| 1 | 0.915 | Frederick Hall, 2007 |
| 2 | 0.883 | Frederick Hall, 2009 |
| John Banville, 1987 | ||
| 4 | 0.866 | Conor Shilcock-Elliott, 2004 |
| 5 | 0.857 | Richard Andreozzi, 1977 |
| 6 | 0.852 | Borja Angoitia, 2014 |
| 7 | 0.837 | Mark Krauter, 1986 |
| 8 | 0.836 | Conor Shilcock-Elliott, 2002 |
| 9 | 0.833 | Mark Krauter, 1985 |
JAMES DOIG
James Doig (Liverpool, England) started in 38 games during his first two seasons at Quinnipiac, scoring twice with nine assists in that span. He netted a goal in Quinnipiac's loss to Holy Cross on Sept. 17, scored again vs. Iona on Oct. 12, then recorded his most recent goal vs. Monmouth. He has three goals and three assists so far in 2016. Doig suffered a season-ending injury during the third game of the 2015 season.
MAX ROTHENBUECHER
Rothenbuecher, a 2016 co-captain, has recorded two assists in 2016. He scored two goals and added one assist in 2015. The junior had the game-winner vs. Canisius in the MAAC Tournament on Nov. 5, 2015. Rothenbuecher, who played in the Bayern Munich FC system for 10 years, has three goals and five assists in his career at Quinnipiac.
RYAN SCHEIDERMAN
Ryan Scheiderman (Brick, NJ) is second on the team with 15 points this year on five goals and four assists. He scored Quinnipiac's lone goal in a 2-1 loss vs. UMass Lowell on Sept. 10, heading in a feed from Max Rothenbuecher with 17:11 left in the second half. He also scored in the second half of the Bobcats' comeback vs. Marist, again in the win over Manhattan, in a win vs. Iona and most recently in the Bobcats' latest victory at Fairfield. The senior had two goals last season, which was tied for team-best. He has eight goals and six assists in his career at Quinnipiac.
RASHAWN DALLY
Rashawn Dally (Bloomfield, CT) has four goals and five assists for the Bobcats so far. He had two helpers in a win over Lafayette at home on Sept. 4, 2016, then scored the game-winning goal vs. Canisius on Saturday, Oct. 8. He scored again in Quinnipiac's win over second-place Siena, then most recently netted a goal against Rider. The sophomore had one goal and two assists in 2015. He earned a spot on the Jamaican National Under-20 Team this summer, playing in the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) U-20 Qualifiers in June. Jamaica went 2-1 in qualifiers with wins over host Dominican Republic and Dominica. He grabbed a goal and an assist in QU's win in the MAAC semifinal round on Nov. 11.
MATTHEW TAYLOR
The sophomore registered two goals and three assists in 2015 for a team-high seven points. Matthew Taylor (Dublin, Ireland) netted the game-winning goal against Manhattan on Oct. 14, 2015, on a 25-yard blast in the third minute. This season, Taylor has four goals and one assist - including a score on Nov. 11 vs. Canisius in the MAAC semifinals.
CONOR MCCOY
The freshman had a goal on Sept. 2 against Fordham, then recorded an assist on Sept. 17 vs. Holy Cross. He then scored in Quinnipiac's comeback win vs. Marist its last time out, tipping a James Doig corner kick for his second goal of the season to make it 2-1. Doig placed the ball in front of Marist's net from the far corner, and McCoy deflected it with his right foot to cut the lead to one goal.
WILLIAM PUSTARI
Has two goals this season, scoring on Sept. 20 vs. St. John's, and on Oct. 5 against Manhattan. Pustari, a junior, has appeared in 25 games in his career at Quinnipiac.
