MAAC Women's Soccer Championship Preview: #4 Quinnipiac vs. #1 Monmouth

Sunday, November 6

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

3:00 PM

Quinnipiac University

Monmouth

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MAAC Women's Soccer Championship Preview: #4 Quinnipiac vs. #1 Monmouth

11/5/2016 2:56:00 PM | Women's Soccer

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Bobcats Advance to First Conference Championship Game Since 2000, Looking for Second Conference Title in Program History

By: QU Sports Information

MAAC Championship
#4 Quinnipiac Bobcats (12-6-1, 6-4 MAAC) vs.
#1 Monmouth Hawks (13-4-1, 9-0-1 MAAC)
Sunday, November 6, 2016 • 3:00 PM
Hesse Field on the Great Lawn • West Long Branch, NJ
All-Time Series vs. Monmouth: 7-13-1

FOLLOW THE GAME

Fresh off a thrilling 1-0 MAAC Semifinal upset win over Siena, the No. 4 seed Quinnipiac women's soccer rolls into their first-ever MAAC Championship Game on Sunday at No. 1 Monmouth. In a storied rivalry pitting two longtime conference rivals dating back to their years together in the Northeast Conference, this highly-anticipated matchup features an upstart Quinnipiac program against a traditional MAAC heavyweight in Monmouth. Quinnipiac treads into uncharted territory looking for their second conference title in program history (first since 2000) on ESPN3 Sunday at 3 PM.

ALL-TIME SERIES AGAINST MONMOUTH (7-13-2)

These two long-time conference rivals have met 22 times heading into the weekend, all of which coming as conference opponents (NEC and MAAC)
Quinnipiac has played more games against Monmouth (22) than they have against any other team in the program's history
After dominating the series in the beginning (4-1 record), Quinnipiac has defeated the Hawks just twice in the last 13 contests (2-9-2)
This year's meeting was a thriller that went back-and-forth throughout play before Monmouth finished off a 2-1 win in overtime in West Long Branch
Luckily for the Bobcats, they're not far removed from a thrilling double overtime 3-2 home win over then-undefeated Monmouth last season that went down as just the second win for Quinnipiac over the Hawks since 2005
Even with Monmouth's dominance in recent history, Quinnipiac has recorded a 2-3-1 record in the last six meetings and are even in goals scored (6-6) in those six contests against the Hawks
Quinnipiac has struggled on the road against Monmouth as they come in with a 2-8 record in West Long Branch while they stand 4-4-2 at home
These two sides have met three times before in the postseason with Quinnipiac owning a 2-1 record in conference playoff games against the Hawks
The last meeting in the postseason came in the NEC Semifinals where Monmouth took down the Bobcats, 1-0, in 2009
Quinnipiac defeated Monmouth, 4-0, in the 2000 NEC Championship to win their only conference title in program history

SCOUTING REPORT: MONMOUTH

Monmouth (13-4-1, 9-0-1 MAAC) enters the MAAC Championship Game following a 4-1 MAAC Semifinal win over Marist
Monmouth rolled to an undefeated record in league play while having outscored opponents, 39-4, in 10 MAAC games
In 11 games against MAAC competition, Monmouth has outscore opponents, 43-5 (+38 goal differential)
The Hawks rolled through a stretch of league games where they outscored opponents 24-0 in four straight contests
A regional powerhouse program, Monmouth stands with an incredible mark of 35-2-3 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 1-2-1 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 (2.84), shots per game (18.2), goals-against average (0.71), shutouts (11) and corners per game (7.8)
Monmouth tends to jump out quickly as the Hawks have outscored their opposition 28-4 in the first halves of games compared to 25-9 in the second half
The Hawks have outshot their opposition by a combined total of 345-126 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
Freshman Madie Gibson has burst onto the scene this season as she leads the Hawks in scoring with 31 points on 11 goals and nine assists in 19 games
MAAC Offensive Player of the Year Alexis McTamney has put together another standout season as she has racked up 20 points on six goals and eight assists
A MAAC-leading seven Hawks come in with double-digit point totals as Rachelle Ross (10 G, 4 A), Rachael Ivanicki (6 G, 4 A), Miranda Konstantinides (4 G, 5 A), Julie Spracklin (4 G, 4 A) and Alli DeLuca (5 G, 2 A) all have compiled at least 10 points
Amanda Knaub has been the top statistical goalkeeper in the MAAC all season as she comes in sporting a slight 0.39 goals-against average with an 12-1-2 record and .864 save percentage
Knaub has allowed just six goals in 16 games and 1385 minutes this season
She has tallied an individual or combined shutout in 11-of-16 appearances in 2016

FOR THE FIRST TIME
Quinnipiac's thrilling 1-0 win over Siena sends the Bobcats to the MAAC Championship Game for the first time in program history. The Bobcats will be making their third trip to a conference championship game in the program's Div. I history (since 1998) but their first since winning the Northeast Conference back in 2000. That 2000 NEC Championship victory was a 4-0 win over Monmouth. The only other title game appearance came in 1999.

CLEAN SHEET PARADE
Quinnipiac's defense has been on lockdown throughout the MAAC Tournament as the Bobcats have not conceded a goal in a pair of postseason wins. The last team to post consecutive shutouts in the MAAC Tournament was Monmouth back in 2013 when the Hawks rolled with three straight clean sheets to a conference title.

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 5-6-1 in conference playoff games and own one conference title coming back in 2000 as a member of the NEC. Prior to last Saturday's 3-0 MAAC Quarterfinal win over Canisius, the last time Quinnipiac won a conference 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 stood 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 program's 19^th season as a NCAA Div. I member, last Saturday's win over the Golden Griffins marked the first time in program history Quinnipiac hosted a conference 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.

ILLUSIVE DOUBLE DIGIT WIN TOTAL
Quinnipiac wrapped up its most successful regular season in 15 years as the Bobcats' 10-6-1 record in regular season play signals the first double digit win total in a single-season since 2001. Armed with two postseason victories over Canisius and Siena, the 12-win season is tied for the third-highest win total in a single-season since Quinnipiac joined the NCAA Div. I ranks in 1998.

HOME COOKIN
Quinnipiac heads into the championship weekend having rolled to a 9-0 record in games played at home this season. The Bobcats are the lone team in the MAAC that didn't lose a game at home in 2016. With the 9-0 record in Hamden this season, the Bobcats conclude their home slate with an undefeated mark for just the third time in 19 seasons in the program's history as well as the first time in 15 seasons. The only other seasons wherein Quinnipiac finished undefeated at home came in 2001 (6-0) and 1999 (11-0).

OFFENSIVE JUGERNAUTS
The offensive side of the ball has been the Bobcats' forte all season long as Quinnipiac comes into Sunday's contest ranking second in the MAAC in goals (37), goals per game (1.95) and points per game (6.37) as well as first in assists (47) and assists per game (2.47). Nadya Gill (9 G, 3 A) and Jess Fontaine (5 G, 11 A) both rank in the Top 10 in the MAAC in points and points per game while Gill and Al Pelletier are 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, 16 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 10-game stretch as the Bobcats have allowed just eight goals in the last 10 games and posted shutouts in five-of-10 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 8-2 and excelled defensively.

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 11 of their 12 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 11-3 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 19 games in 2016, 24 of the 37 (64.9 percent) Bobcat goals on the season have been scored by underclassmen. Sophomores Nadya Gill (nine), Al Pelletier (five), Katrina Friedman (two), Madison Borowiec (two) and Jess Gargan (one) combine with redshirt freshman Kylie Lance (one) and freshman Ally Grunstein (four) for 24 of the team's goals this season. The upperclassmen to score in 2016 have been Jess Fontaine (five), Kelly Caruso (four), Sarah Pandolfi (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. Sitting tied for first on the team with 21 points (five goals, 11 assists) on the season, her team and MAAC-leading 11 assists on the season not only lead both categories but her assist total is tied for fourth in the nation. She is just one of 14 players nationally to put up 10+ assists on the season and just one of eight from the mid-major level. Fontaine is also tied for eighth in the nation in assists per game (0.58). 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 Sunday's contest with 11 through 19 games. With at least one game remaining in the season, Fontaine's 2016 assist total is currently tied for second on the all-time single-season record list at Quinnipiac and is tied for first in the program's Div. I history (since 1998). Kirsten Van de Van's 2004 total of 11 is tied with Fontaine for the most since Quinnipiac joined the Div. I ranks.

MOVIN ON UP
With her one assist against Siena, Jess Fontaine continues to move up the Top 10 all-time career record list at Quinnipiac with 22 career assists. She sits tied for fourth place all-time in career assists at Quinnipiac. The four players tied or 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 36 games in her career, Gill has accumulated 17 goals and six assists for 40 points (1.11 per game). Incredibly, eight of Gill's 17 career goals (47.1 percent) have gone down as game-winners.

SHOOT TO GILL
Since joining the team as a freshman in 2015, Nadya Gill has racked up 40 career points in 36 games played. Over the last two seasons, Gill ranks second among all MAAC players in points as she only sits behind Monmouth's Alexis McTamney (42 points). Her two-year goal total (17) also sits tied for first among all players in the league as she stands even with Manhattan's Erica Modena (17) in that span.

LITTLE AL DOING BIG THINGS
Sophomore forward Al Pelletier had herself a landmark moment in the Bobcats' 1-0 win over Siena as she notched the game-winner to put Quinnipiac ahead and into the MAAC Championship Game. Just one year removed from recording one goal in 10 games played during her rookie season, Pelletier has been incredible in 2016 with 14 points on five goals and four assists in 19 games played. The +12 point improvement from year-to-year easily stands as the highest total on the team.

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 sits 11^th on the team among field players in minutes played (845) and has started only five-of-19 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 third in the MAAC with eight assists and assists per game (0.42). Her eight 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. Grunstein's 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 10 games and has helped turn around the Bobcat defense which has allowed just eight goals in the those 10 contests. Gargan has also tallied all six of her points in 2016 (one goal, four assists) from her new defensive positioning.

CAREER YEAR FOR CARUSO
In the midst of a career year in her senior season, Kelly Caruso has amassed a career high 11 points in 2016 on four goals and three assists. Entering her senior year with four career goals, Caruso has doubled her career total this season while adding three assists to give her 11 helpers across her four years. Her game-winning goal in the 3-0 win over Canisius in the MAAC Quarterfinals was just her second career game-winner. She continues to show incredible durability as she has never missed a game in her collegiate career, having played in all 69 possible games in her four seasons.

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 five games as she had posted a career high seven saves in three straight games before her three-save and no goals allowed effort while picking up the win in the 3-0 postseason victory over Canisius. She followed that with a five-save clean sheet in the Bobcats' 1-0 Semifinal win over Siena.

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 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 47 assists through 19 games for a per-game average (2.47) that sits tied for fifth 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 five straight wins. 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.