QU Women's Soccer Opens 2016 Season With 2-1 Win Over Toledo

Friday, August 19

Hamden, Conn.

3:00 PM

Quinnipiac University

1-0

Toledo

0-1

Toledo

Quinnipiac

QU Women's Soccer Opens 2016 Season With 2-1 Win Over Toledo

8/19/2016 5:43:00 PM | Women's Soccer

Box Score

By: QU Sports Information

HAMDEN, Conn. - Sophomore Preseason All-MAAC forward Nadya Gill (Toronto, Ontario) and sophomore forward Alex Pelletier (Cheshire, Conn.) scored second-half goals as the Quinnipiac women's soccer team opened the 2016 season with a 2-1 win over Toledo at QU Soccer Field.

Freshman goalkeeper Olivia Myszewski (Elm Grove, Wis.) had seven saves in goal in her collegiate debut to get the win for the Bobcats, including a key one in the closing minutes to preserve the 2-1 win, denying Toledo's Kelsey Kraft on her bid for her second goal of the game.

Gill (pictured) got the scoring started in the 58th minute when she scored an opportunistic goal on a scramble in the box. Senior forward Sarah Pandolfi (North Haven, Connecticut) set the play up when she cranked a 25-yard shot that eluded Toledo goalie Katie Wilson, but hit square off the right post and bounced back into the field of play. After the Rockets were unable to clear, Pelletier's sliding tackle was successful as she nudged the ball to Gill who got to the loose ball 12 yards out along the right side and buried the ball into the net before Wilson could recover for the first goal of the season for the Bobcats with 32:11 left in the game.

The lead held until Kraft knotted the score with 20:43 left in the contest on a header on the weak side after a cross from Shelby Gillespie. Gillespie started the play with a flip throw in from the right side that was cleared back out of the box by the Bobcat defense, but Gillespie got back to the loose ball and played a bending cross from the right side. The ball carried over some traffic in front of the net to the far post, where Kraft was waiting, and she buried a header to level the score at 1-1.

Gill almost got the lead right back for Quinnipiac a minute later, as she was played in behind the Toledo defense, but Wilson came off her line to make the save inside the top edge of the penalty area to preserve the 1-1 tie.

Quinnipiac would eventually find the tiebreaker, though, as Pelletier scored her first career game-winner on a quick counter out of the Bobcats defensive third. Sophomore defender Kylie Lance (Stow, Mass.) won a 50-50 header to start the counter, and sophomore midfielder Madison Borowiec (Windsor, Conn.) ran onto the loose ball and one-timed it forward over the midfield line. Pelletier ran onto it in stride and got behind the Toledo defense. Before the Rockets could converge on her, she cranked a right-footed shot from just outside the box that tucked cleanly into the left side of the net to break the tie and give Quinnipiac a 2-1 lead with 8:29 to play.

The Bobcats had to withstand one final threat, as Kraft nearly scored on an instant replay of her first goal. This time, she got to a header at the far post from just inside the top of the six-yard box, but Myszewski stayed on her line and read the header perfectly, making a diving save to preserve the win.

Myszewski was also tested early as she had three saves in the opening seven minutes before the Bobcats were able to settle in. She also had a spectacular save early in the second half with the score 0-0 to deny Kiersten Johnson on a 15-yard blast on a counter, tipping the hard shot just over the crossbar.

Wilson finished with four saves for Toledo, as Quinnipiac held a narrow 13-12 edge in shots and a 4-3 edge in corner kicks on the game. Gill and Jess Gargan (Dublin, Ireland) led Quinnipiac with three shots apiece, while Johnson had seven shots for Toledo, five of which were on net and saved by Myszewski.

The Bobcats are back in action on Tuesday when they host UMass-Lowell for a 4 p.m. contest.