QU Women's Lacrosse Plays Host to Iona on Wednesday
4/11/2016 2:23:00 PM | Women's Lacrosse
Bobcats in Need of a Win to Keep Within Reach of MAAC Postseason Tournament Berth
Quinnipiac Bobcats (2-10, 0-4 MAAC) vs.
Iona Gaels (6-6, 1-2 MAAC)
Wednesday, April 13, 2016 – 3:00 PM
QU Lacrosse Turf Complex – Hamden, CT
All-Time Series vs. Iona: QU 5-1
Follow the Game
Live Stats: QuinnipiacBobcats.com
Free Live Video: Quinnipiac All-Access
Twitter: @QU_WLAX
As the Quinnipiac women's lacrosse team hits the midway point of league play, every game moving forward is crucial for the Bobcats who're in search of their first berth into the MAAC Tournament in program history. The closing four-game stretch of the 2016 regular season starts with a home game against Iona at 3 PM on Wednesday as Quinnipiac looks to make the most of having three of their final four games of the regular season in Hamden.
SCOUTING THE GAELS
Iona (6-6, 1-2 MAAC) comes in very much motivated to secure a playoff spot as the Gaels were handed two tough losses to start MAAC play but most recently defeated Niagara, 8-6, last Saturday on the road. After a grueling stretch of six straight road games throughout the month of March, Iona compiled an impressive 5-4 record through non-conference play that featured wins over Wagner, Sacred Heart, Central Connecticut State, Stetson and LIU Brooklyn. A ball-dominated team on the offensive end, Iona leads the MAAC in assists per game (5.50) while sitting fifth in the conference in goals per game (10.75). Iona has struggled a bit on the defensive end as the Gaels rank eighth in the MAAC in save percentage (.383) and sixth in goals-against average (11.35). Even with the defensive liabilities, the Gaels would rather get into shootouts with their opponents as Iona features two of the top scorers in the conference that are also high up on the national leaderboards. Through 12 games, senior Mary Kate McCormick has torn up opponents with 54 points (21 goals, 33 assists). McCormick ranks fourth in the nation in assists (34) and third in the nation in assists per game (2.75). Leaned on as the feeder behind the cage in this Iona offensive unit, McCormick also leads the MAAC and ranks 12th in the nation in points (54) while also sitting 13th in points per game (4.50). On the receiving end of a majority of those McCormick feeds all season has been Erin Pugh who comes in with 46 points (36 goals, 10 assists) in 12 games. Pugh is an all-around weapon as her stats don't just stop on the offensive end as she has compiled 29 draw controls, 22 ground balls and 13 caused turnovers while putting up 70 shots on the season. Her stats rank amongst the nation leaders in free position percentage (.533; 37th NCAA), goals (36; 22nd NCAA), goals per game (3.00, 20th NCAA), points (46; 32nd NCAA) and points per game (3.83; 28th NCAA). Pugh and McCormick give Iona two of the top three leading point producers in the MAAC and they will be leaned on heavily throughout the remaining schedule for the Gaels as they fight for a postseason berth. Headlining the defensive core is Gabriell DiDomizio who has compiled 34 ground balls and 21 caused turnovers. In the cage, Thea Leitman expects to see the starting duties as she comes in with a 6-6 record, 10.84 GAA and 64 saves while boasting a save percentage of .398.
SERIES HISTORY
This series history was entirely one-sided before Iona defeated the Bobcats, 16-7, last season in New Rochelle for the first Gael victory in the all-time series between these two sides. Quinnipiac came in with a 5-0 all-time record against the Gaels prior to the 2015 season. These two sides met for the first time as conference foes in 2014 with Quinnipiac taking the 15-9 win at home. Before the first MAAC contest between QU and Iona, these two sides met four other times through the years starting in 2008 with a 16-9 victory for the Bobcats at home. QU is 2-0 on the road against Iona, starting with a 12-11 victory on March 13, 2009 as well as a 13-12 win on March 6, 2013. But road games have been decided by just one goal in each game which certainly figures to factor into play on Wednesday.
STREAKING
Kathleen DeVito has been the guiding force behind the Bobcats' offensive attack throughout the majority of the season. She saw the second-longest point streak of her career (eight games) end on Saturday at Monmouth. In the point streak, DeVito recorded a team-high 18 points (7-11-18) while she currently leads the team with 20 points (9-11-20) on the season. DeVito has also tallied two goals in three of the last five games to move her career total to 18 multi-goal games in her four years as a Bobcat.
ANTONACCI'S APPLES
After not seeing any game time as a freshman in 2015, sophomore Loren Antonacci has stepped into a large role as the Bobcats' main distributor and has exceled over the last four games. Stepping into the starting lineup six games ago, Antonacci has tallied 10 points (3-7-10) over the last four games alone to hold the team-lead in that department. Antonacci picked up three assists, the most by any Bobcat this season, against CCSU (3/30) and tallied her first career multi-goal at Monmouth (4/9).
LARKIN LEADING THE WAY
The vastly improved play of Kyle Larkin in the cage has played a big role in the Bobcats' defensive dominance this season, highlighted by a career-high 14 save effort (10 in first half alone) at Siena (4/6). In the past 11 games, Larkin has posted double digit save totals in five-of-11 in the stretch. Larkin's cumulative totals of 97 saves (8.8 per game), .447 save percentage and 10.80 GAA in the last 11 games (666:48 minutes played) has helped lead the way in a turnaround inspired on the defensive end.
KEEP TRYING TO GET ONE PAST KYLE
The recent 11-game turnaround has seen Kyle Larkin rise up the national rankings as she now sits 16th in the nation in saves per game (8.83) and saves (106) while also ranking 39th in ground balls per game (2.67) and 55th in save percentage (.429).
AT THE TOP OF HER CRAFT
Kiera Kelly has seen an immediate rise in her production through 12 games in 2016. Having compiled 40 ground balls and 28 caused turnovers, Kelly currently leads the MAAC caused turnovers per game while ranking second in ground balls per game. Kelly also stands seventh in the nation in ground balls per game (3.33) and tied for 12th in caused turnover per game (2.33).
FRESH FACES
Quinnipiac's freshmen class has factored heavily in the Bobcats' scoring throughout the season as Allison Kuhn (14-5-19), Cara O'Meally (7-0-7), Ellie Swenson (3-2-5), Aubrey Conti (1-1-2), and Alexa Paul (1-0-1) have accounted for 34 of the Bobcats' 96 total points (35.4 percent) through 12 games in 2016. In terms of just goal scoring, 27 of the Bobcats' 65 goals (41.5 percent) have been scored by Quinnipiac freshmen this season.
SENIOR CENTER
After notching just three combined goals in the first three games of 2016, the Bobcats' senior tandem of Aileen Carey (15-0-15) and Kathleen DeVito (7-11-18) have combined for 33 points in the last nine games as the two have combined to either score or assist on 26 of the 54 total goals scored (48.1 percent) for the Bobcats.
CAREY-ING THE OFFENSE
Aileen Carey's career-high five-game goal scoring streak was snapped at Niagara (3/26). The senior midfielder was also riding a four-game multi-goal scoring streak. She still managed to restart her scoring touch against CCSU (3/30) as she picked up two goals while adding four ground balls (tied career-high) and four draw controls and four caused turnovers (career-high). She leads the team with 16 goals in 2016 and is just one goal shy of setting a new single-season career record with five games still remaining in the regular season. Coming into her senior season with just three career hat tricks, Carey has already posted three hat tricks in 11 games this season.
OFFENSIVE POWER OUTAGE
Facing two of the most lethal scorers in the conference in Taylor Giglio (21-10-31) and Erica Evans (21-5-26; Preseason MAAC Player of the Year), the Bobcats designed and executed their defensive game plan perfectly as the two top scorers for the Golden Griffins (4/2) were held to just one combined point (Giglio assist) on the day which easily stands as the lowest combined total for the pairing all season. The sophomore midfielder Evans was held scoreless in a game for the first time in her career.
SPEEDY STREAK
Quinnipiac mounted a furious second half comeback against CCSU (3/30) as the Bobcats put together a 6-0 run over a matter of 8:35. The six straight goals in that time span marks the fastest six-goal run for the Bobcats since April 9, 2014 when Quinnipiac tallied a 6-0 run over a span of 4:42 at Iona (28 games ago).
ALEX IS EVERYWHERE
Alex Hlesciak put together the best game of her three-year career against CCSU (3/30) as she tallied a career-high three points (two goals, one assist) while she also notched her fourth career multi-goal game. Hlesciak wasn't done on the offensive end as she also chipped in a career-high four ground balls to go along with five draw controls (one off career-high). Ever since moving into the starting lineup four games ago, Hlesciak has tallied four points (three goals, one assist) with 17 draw controls.
GOING BACK-TO-BACK
After not seeing a Bobcat win an individual MAAC weekly award in the first two full seasons since joining the conference in 2014, Quinnipiac's sophomore goalkeeper Kyle Larkin has picked up back-to-back MAAC Defensive Player of the Week awards. Over those two weeks, no goalkeeper in the MAAC was hotter as Larkin as she allowed nine goals (4.50 GAA) and posted 19 saves (.679 save percentage) in picking up two straight wins for the Bobcats. In a meeting against UMass Lowell, Larkin allowed a career-low four goals in a 7-4 win while tallying eight saves on 12 shots (.667 save percentage).
SHUTOUT STREAK
The first goal for UMass Lowell (3/12) which came with 27:32 remaining in the second half broke up the Bobcats' scoreless streak which spanned the course of the two games. Quinnipiac held Army West Point (3/5) scoreless for the final 17:56 of play in a 6-5 win and held UMass Lowell without a goal for 32:28 of play in a 7-4 win. Quinnipiac's scoreless streak lasted a total of 50:24 as Larkin made 10 straight saves in that time frame.
DEFENSIVE DYNAMOS
Heading up a lockdown defensive effort against UMass Lowell (3/12) was the tandem of Leah Walter and Kiera Kelly. The two leading shutdown defenders for the Bobcats contributed in big ways as Walter tied her career-high in ground balls (five) and caused turnovers (three) while Kelly snagged four ground balls and tied her career-high with four caused turnovers. The pairing combined to hold the top three River Hawk scorers entering the game to no points throughout 60 minutes of action. This was one game following a total shutdown of Army West Point's leading scorer Amy Johnston, holding her without any points in the one-goal win.
DEFENSE FIRST
Quinnipiac has predicated themselves on the defensive end all season and their stellar efforts protecting their cage has played a large role during the two-game winning streak. The hot streak started in a 6-5 win over Army West Point (3/5) as the 11 combined goals represents the lowest combined score total in a Quinnipiac victory since the Bobcats defeated Robert Morris by the identical score on the road back on April 7, 2012. Most recently, Quinnipiac's 7-4 win over UMass Lowell (3/12) saw Quinnipiac allow their fewest goals to an opponent in a single game since an 8-4 win over Monmouth back on April 23, 2010 (86 games ago).
FORTUNATO'S FIRST WIN
A defensive-minded midfielder in her four years as a player for Quinnipiac (2004-08), first-year head coach Brittany Fortunato's first career victory was very reminiscent of her playing style. The 11 combined goals in the 6-5 victory over Army West Point (3/5) represents the lowest combined score total in a Quinnipiac victory since the Bobcats defeated Robert Morris on the road by the identical score back on April 7, 2012.
FRESH FACE
Among the many freshmen to shine on the day against Binghamton (2/27) included Allison Kuhn who posted a team-leading four-point day (three goals, one assist) as she either scored or assisted on more than half of the goals scored for Quinnipiac on the day. She also becomes the first Quinnipiac freshman to tally at least four points in a game since Maria Blois tallied four points (one goal, three assists) back on April 19, 2013. Kuhn also added a game and personal-high four draw controls.
FINDING THEIR IDENTITY
Coming off a disappointing 21-0 loss in the 2016 season opener, Quinnipiac certainly found their defensive identity in the second half at Yale (2/24) as the Bulldogs scored just three of their 11 goals in the final 30 minutes of play. The 11-goal total for the Bulldogs also easily stands as the fewest allowed by Quinnipiac in the series history as the previous fewest came in 2014 when Yale defeated the Bobcats, 15-8.
THAT'S MINE!
Sophomore Kiera Kelly filled the stat sheet with career highs in ground balls (eight) and caused turnovers (four) at Yale (2/24). After becoming the first freshman in program history to lead Quinnipiac in ground balls and caused turnovers last season, Kelly came one ground ball shy of matching the single-game program record (nine) which was compiled by Christy Smallman against Vermont on March 4, 2005.
Iona Gaels (6-6, 1-2 MAAC)
Wednesday, April 13, 2016 – 3:00 PM
QU Lacrosse Turf Complex – Hamden, CT
All-Time Series vs. Iona: QU 5-1
Follow the Game
Live Stats: QuinnipiacBobcats.com
Free Live Video: Quinnipiac All-Access
Twitter: @QU_WLAX
As the Quinnipiac women's lacrosse team hits the midway point of league play, every game moving forward is crucial for the Bobcats who're in search of their first berth into the MAAC Tournament in program history. The closing four-game stretch of the 2016 regular season starts with a home game against Iona at 3 PM on Wednesday as Quinnipiac looks to make the most of having three of their final four games of the regular season in Hamden.
SCOUTING THE GAELS
Iona (6-6, 1-2 MAAC) comes in very much motivated to secure a playoff spot as the Gaels were handed two tough losses to start MAAC play but most recently defeated Niagara, 8-6, last Saturday on the road. After a grueling stretch of six straight road games throughout the month of March, Iona compiled an impressive 5-4 record through non-conference play that featured wins over Wagner, Sacred Heart, Central Connecticut State, Stetson and LIU Brooklyn. A ball-dominated team on the offensive end, Iona leads the MAAC in assists per game (5.50) while sitting fifth in the conference in goals per game (10.75). Iona has struggled a bit on the defensive end as the Gaels rank eighth in the MAAC in save percentage (.383) and sixth in goals-against average (11.35). Even with the defensive liabilities, the Gaels would rather get into shootouts with their opponents as Iona features two of the top scorers in the conference that are also high up on the national leaderboards. Through 12 games, senior Mary Kate McCormick has torn up opponents with 54 points (21 goals, 33 assists). McCormick ranks fourth in the nation in assists (34) and third in the nation in assists per game (2.75). Leaned on as the feeder behind the cage in this Iona offensive unit, McCormick also leads the MAAC and ranks 12th in the nation in points (54) while also sitting 13th in points per game (4.50). On the receiving end of a majority of those McCormick feeds all season has been Erin Pugh who comes in with 46 points (36 goals, 10 assists) in 12 games. Pugh is an all-around weapon as her stats don't just stop on the offensive end as she has compiled 29 draw controls, 22 ground balls and 13 caused turnovers while putting up 70 shots on the season. Her stats rank amongst the nation leaders in free position percentage (.533; 37th NCAA), goals (36; 22nd NCAA), goals per game (3.00, 20th NCAA), points (46; 32nd NCAA) and points per game (3.83; 28th NCAA). Pugh and McCormick give Iona two of the top three leading point producers in the MAAC and they will be leaned on heavily throughout the remaining schedule for the Gaels as they fight for a postseason berth. Headlining the defensive core is Gabriell DiDomizio who has compiled 34 ground balls and 21 caused turnovers. In the cage, Thea Leitman expects to see the starting duties as she comes in with a 6-6 record, 10.84 GAA and 64 saves while boasting a save percentage of .398.
SERIES HISTORY
This series history was entirely one-sided before Iona defeated the Bobcats, 16-7, last season in New Rochelle for the first Gael victory in the all-time series between these two sides. Quinnipiac came in with a 5-0 all-time record against the Gaels prior to the 2015 season. These two sides met for the first time as conference foes in 2014 with Quinnipiac taking the 15-9 win at home. Before the first MAAC contest between QU and Iona, these two sides met four other times through the years starting in 2008 with a 16-9 victory for the Bobcats at home. QU is 2-0 on the road against Iona, starting with a 12-11 victory on March 13, 2009 as well as a 13-12 win on March 6, 2013. But road games have been decided by just one goal in each game which certainly figures to factor into play on Wednesday.
STREAKING
Kathleen DeVito has been the guiding force behind the Bobcats' offensive attack throughout the majority of the season. She saw the second-longest point streak of her career (eight games) end on Saturday at Monmouth. In the point streak, DeVito recorded a team-high 18 points (7-11-18) while she currently leads the team with 20 points (9-11-20) on the season. DeVito has also tallied two goals in three of the last five games to move her career total to 18 multi-goal games in her four years as a Bobcat.
ANTONACCI'S APPLES
After not seeing any game time as a freshman in 2015, sophomore Loren Antonacci has stepped into a large role as the Bobcats' main distributor and has exceled over the last four games. Stepping into the starting lineup six games ago, Antonacci has tallied 10 points (3-7-10) over the last four games alone to hold the team-lead in that department. Antonacci picked up three assists, the most by any Bobcat this season, against CCSU (3/30) and tallied her first career multi-goal at Monmouth (4/9).
LARKIN LEADING THE WAY
The vastly improved play of Kyle Larkin in the cage has played a big role in the Bobcats' defensive dominance this season, highlighted by a career-high 14 save effort (10 in first half alone) at Siena (4/6). In the past 11 games, Larkin has posted double digit save totals in five-of-11 in the stretch. Larkin's cumulative totals of 97 saves (8.8 per game), .447 save percentage and 10.80 GAA in the last 11 games (666:48 minutes played) has helped lead the way in a turnaround inspired on the defensive end.
KEEP TRYING TO GET ONE PAST KYLE
The recent 11-game turnaround has seen Kyle Larkin rise up the national rankings as she now sits 16th in the nation in saves per game (8.83) and saves (106) while also ranking 39th in ground balls per game (2.67) and 55th in save percentage (.429).
AT THE TOP OF HER CRAFT
Kiera Kelly has seen an immediate rise in her production through 12 games in 2016. Having compiled 40 ground balls and 28 caused turnovers, Kelly currently leads the MAAC caused turnovers per game while ranking second in ground balls per game. Kelly also stands seventh in the nation in ground balls per game (3.33) and tied for 12th in caused turnover per game (2.33).
FRESH FACES
Quinnipiac's freshmen class has factored heavily in the Bobcats' scoring throughout the season as Allison Kuhn (14-5-19), Cara O'Meally (7-0-7), Ellie Swenson (3-2-5), Aubrey Conti (1-1-2), and Alexa Paul (1-0-1) have accounted for 34 of the Bobcats' 96 total points (35.4 percent) through 12 games in 2016. In terms of just goal scoring, 27 of the Bobcats' 65 goals (41.5 percent) have been scored by Quinnipiac freshmen this season.
SENIOR CENTER
After notching just three combined goals in the first three games of 2016, the Bobcats' senior tandem of Aileen Carey (15-0-15) and Kathleen DeVito (7-11-18) have combined for 33 points in the last nine games as the two have combined to either score or assist on 26 of the 54 total goals scored (48.1 percent) for the Bobcats.
CAREY-ING THE OFFENSE
Aileen Carey's career-high five-game goal scoring streak was snapped at Niagara (3/26). The senior midfielder was also riding a four-game multi-goal scoring streak. She still managed to restart her scoring touch against CCSU (3/30) as she picked up two goals while adding four ground balls (tied career-high) and four draw controls and four caused turnovers (career-high). She leads the team with 16 goals in 2016 and is just one goal shy of setting a new single-season career record with five games still remaining in the regular season. Coming into her senior season with just three career hat tricks, Carey has already posted three hat tricks in 11 games this season.
OFFENSIVE POWER OUTAGE
Facing two of the most lethal scorers in the conference in Taylor Giglio (21-10-31) and Erica Evans (21-5-26; Preseason MAAC Player of the Year), the Bobcats designed and executed their defensive game plan perfectly as the two top scorers for the Golden Griffins (4/2) were held to just one combined point (Giglio assist) on the day which easily stands as the lowest combined total for the pairing all season. The sophomore midfielder Evans was held scoreless in a game for the first time in her career.
SPEEDY STREAK
Quinnipiac mounted a furious second half comeback against CCSU (3/30) as the Bobcats put together a 6-0 run over a matter of 8:35. The six straight goals in that time span marks the fastest six-goal run for the Bobcats since April 9, 2014 when Quinnipiac tallied a 6-0 run over a span of 4:42 at Iona (28 games ago).
ALEX IS EVERYWHERE
Alex Hlesciak put together the best game of her three-year career against CCSU (3/30) as she tallied a career-high three points (two goals, one assist) while she also notched her fourth career multi-goal game. Hlesciak wasn't done on the offensive end as she also chipped in a career-high four ground balls to go along with five draw controls (one off career-high). Ever since moving into the starting lineup four games ago, Hlesciak has tallied four points (three goals, one assist) with 17 draw controls.
GOING BACK-TO-BACK
After not seeing a Bobcat win an individual MAAC weekly award in the first two full seasons since joining the conference in 2014, Quinnipiac's sophomore goalkeeper Kyle Larkin has picked up back-to-back MAAC Defensive Player of the Week awards. Over those two weeks, no goalkeeper in the MAAC was hotter as Larkin as she allowed nine goals (4.50 GAA) and posted 19 saves (.679 save percentage) in picking up two straight wins for the Bobcats. In a meeting against UMass Lowell, Larkin allowed a career-low four goals in a 7-4 win while tallying eight saves on 12 shots (.667 save percentage).
SHUTOUT STREAK
The first goal for UMass Lowell (3/12) which came with 27:32 remaining in the second half broke up the Bobcats' scoreless streak which spanned the course of the two games. Quinnipiac held Army West Point (3/5) scoreless for the final 17:56 of play in a 6-5 win and held UMass Lowell without a goal for 32:28 of play in a 7-4 win. Quinnipiac's scoreless streak lasted a total of 50:24 as Larkin made 10 straight saves in that time frame.
DEFENSIVE DYNAMOS
Heading up a lockdown defensive effort against UMass Lowell (3/12) was the tandem of Leah Walter and Kiera Kelly. The two leading shutdown defenders for the Bobcats contributed in big ways as Walter tied her career-high in ground balls (five) and caused turnovers (three) while Kelly snagged four ground balls and tied her career-high with four caused turnovers. The pairing combined to hold the top three River Hawk scorers entering the game to no points throughout 60 minutes of action. This was one game following a total shutdown of Army West Point's leading scorer Amy Johnston, holding her without any points in the one-goal win.
DEFENSE FIRST
Quinnipiac has predicated themselves on the defensive end all season and their stellar efforts protecting their cage has played a large role during the two-game winning streak. The hot streak started in a 6-5 win over Army West Point (3/5) as the 11 combined goals represents the lowest combined score total in a Quinnipiac victory since the Bobcats defeated Robert Morris by the identical score on the road back on April 7, 2012. Most recently, Quinnipiac's 7-4 win over UMass Lowell (3/12) saw Quinnipiac allow their fewest goals to an opponent in a single game since an 8-4 win over Monmouth back on April 23, 2010 (86 games ago).
FORTUNATO'S FIRST WIN
A defensive-minded midfielder in her four years as a player for Quinnipiac (2004-08), first-year head coach Brittany Fortunato's first career victory was very reminiscent of her playing style. The 11 combined goals in the 6-5 victory over Army West Point (3/5) represents the lowest combined score total in a Quinnipiac victory since the Bobcats defeated Robert Morris on the road by the identical score back on April 7, 2012.
FRESH FACE
Among the many freshmen to shine on the day against Binghamton (2/27) included Allison Kuhn who posted a team-leading four-point day (three goals, one assist) as she either scored or assisted on more than half of the goals scored for Quinnipiac on the day. She also becomes the first Quinnipiac freshman to tally at least four points in a game since Maria Blois tallied four points (one goal, three assists) back on April 19, 2013. Kuhn also added a game and personal-high four draw controls.
FINDING THEIR IDENTITY
Coming off a disappointing 21-0 loss in the 2016 season opener, Quinnipiac certainly found their defensive identity in the second half at Yale (2/24) as the Bulldogs scored just three of their 11 goals in the final 30 minutes of play. The 11-goal total for the Bulldogs also easily stands as the fewest allowed by Quinnipiac in the series history as the previous fewest came in 2014 when Yale defeated the Bobcats, 15-8.
THAT'S MINE!
Sophomore Kiera Kelly filled the stat sheet with career highs in ground balls (eight) and caused turnovers (four) at Yale (2/24). After becoming the first freshman in program history to lead Quinnipiac in ground balls and caused turnovers last season, Kelly came one ground ball shy of matching the single-game program record (nine) which was compiled by Christy Smallman against Vermont on March 4, 2005.
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