QU Women's Soccer Opens MAAC Tournament with Quarterfinal Matchup Against #6 Rider on Sunday

Sunday, October 29

ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex - Lake Buena Vista, FL

11:00 AM

Quinnipiac University

Rider

QU Women's Soccer Opens MAAC Tournament with Quarterfinal Matchup Against #6 Rider on Sunday

10/28/2017 4:56:00 PM | Women's Soccer

Bobcats Played to 1-1 Draw at Home Against Rider this Season

By: QU Athletic Communications

#3 Quinnipiac Bobcats (8-6-3, 5-2-3 MAAC) vs.
#6 Rider Broncs (5-9-3, 4-3-3 MAAC)
Sunday, October 29, 2017 | 11:00 AM
ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex // Lake Buena Vista, FL
All-Time in MAAC Tournament: 2-2
All-Time in MAAC Tournament Games in Disney: 0-1
All-Time Record in Postseason Play: 6-8-1
Conference Championships: 2000 NEC

GAME LINKS

The No. 3 seed Quinnipiac women's soccer team heads into the 2017 MAAC Tournament coming off a successful regular season wherein the Bobcats amassed an overall mark of 8-6-3 while building a 5-2-3 MAAC record. Quinnipiac has designs of mimicking the team's success in the 2016 MAAC Tournament, a postseason run that saw the then-four seeded Bobcats defeat Canisius (3-0) at home in the MAAC quarterfinals before upsetting the second seed Siena Saints (1-0) in the MAAC semifinals to advance to the program's first-ever MAAC Championship game. Armed with their highest postseason seed since joining the MAAC, Quinnipiac opens the conference postseason tournament against the sixth-seeded Rider Broncs following their 3-1 first round win over 11-seed Saint Peter's.

CONFERENCE POSTSEASON HISTORY
This season marks just the ninth time in 20 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 5-7-1 in conference playoff games and won one conference title coming back in 2000 as a member of the Northeast Conference. Last season's 3-0 MAAC Quarterfinal home win over Canisius was Quinnipiac's first conference postseason win since the 2000 NEC Championship game when 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. The most-recent automatic MAAC Tournament qualifying season (2013) was a disappointment for the Bobcats as Quinnipiac fell as the No. 7 seed to the No. 10 seed Manhattan, 1-0, in the First Round.

SUCCESS IN THE MAAC
Quinnipiac's 2017 MAAC regular season was the Bobcats' best in many ways since moving to the conference in 2013. The Bobcats totaled 18 points in the league table with a 5-2-3 record in MAAC play, matching last season's total for the highest in five years as a MAAC member. Quinnipiac set new single-season bests in MAAC-only play in terms of goals scored (24), goals allowed (eight), goal differential (+16), assists (35), points (83), saves (51), save percentage (0.864), clean sheets (five) and seeding (three) for the MAAC Tournament.

PERFECTED PATH TO SUCCESS
Quinnipiac's path to a success postseason run could very well hinge on the Bobcats' ability to score first. In the 1-0 road win at Canisius last Saturday, Quinnipiac improved to 7-0-3 in 2017 in games in which the Bobcats score first. Quinnipiac has struggled all season in games in which the opposition scores first as their loss (2-1 at Iona) moved their record to 1-6 in games wherein the opponent scores first.

FULLY LOADED ARSENAL
Scoring depth has been one of the biggest strengths all season as the Bobcats currently have five players all with at least 11 points on the season. Nadya Gill (30), Al Pelletier (17), Kelsey Goldring (17), Madison Borowiec (14) and Ally Grunstein (11) all hit double digits in 17 regular season games. No other team in the MAAC has more than three players with double digit point totals (both Manhattan and Niagara have three players w/ double digit point totals heading into the MAAC Tournament).

GOALS GALORE
Sitting atop the MAAC leaderboard in scoring offense all season, Quinnipiac's offense has been humming all season long. The Bobcats have five players with at least four goals on the season (Gill, Pelletier, Goldring, Borowiec and Grunstein), no other team in the MAAC has more than two players with at least four goals in 2017.

WAIT…WHO DOESN'T HAVE A GOAL?
Kylie Lance became the 11^th different Bobcat to score a goal this season, as she notched the game-winner in a 1-0 road win over Canisius last Saturday. Lance's first goal of the season gives Quinnipiac 11 different players with at least one tally. Quinnipiac is tied with Siena (11) for the second-most different goal scorers in 2017, the only team in the MAAC with more this season is Manhattan with 12.

BALANCED DEFENSE TOO
Dave Clarke has shuffled his defensive lines around all season long, utilizing great depth along the back line with nine players being used at times along the back. Jess Gargan is the only Bobcat to have started all 17 games, as she leads the team in minutes played with 1501 while also dishing out four assists. Kylie Lance (13 starts, 1331 minutes), Hannah Reiter (11 starts, 1167 minutes), Laura Nicholas (14 starts, 957 minutes), Jess Cascio (seven starts, 943 minutes), Emma Greco (12 starts, 888 minutes), Mackenzie Tibball (10 starts, 846 minutes), Sarahkate Norton (eight starts, 765 minutes) and Katrina Friedman (eight starts, 699 minutes) have all contributed to a Bobcat team that allowed just eight goals in 10 league games this season.

ASSISTED LIVING
Quinnipiac currently has four players with at least five assists on the season, all of which rank in the Top 10 in the MAAC in total assists and assists per game. As a team, Quinnipiac has ranked Top 10 in the nation in both total assists and assists per game throughout a majority of the season. Entering postseason play, Quinnipiac ranks fourth in total assists (47) and sixth in assists per game (2.76). In total, 13 different players have dished out at least one assist this year while Gill (eight) and Goldring (seven) sit second and third in the league in assists this season. Quinnipiac is tied with Siena (13) for the top spot in the MAAC in most players with at least one assist.

MORE…NEED MORE OFFENSE
As a team, Quinnipiac's offense has been buzzing all season, currently tied for 29^th in the nation in scoring offense (2.12), sixth in assists per game (2.76) and 12^th in points per game (7.00). Perhaps the most inconceivable stat of them all, Quinnipiac's offense has led the MAAC all season despite averaging a mere 11.18 shots per game (241^st in the nation, 9^th in the MAAC).

BIG MAAC RECOGNITION
Quinnipiac has seen four weekly award winners in 2017, Nadya Gill and Al Pelletier each won MAAC Offensive Player of the Week once while Kelsey Goldring is a two-time MAAC Rookie of the Week. Gill's honor gives her two MAAC Offensive Player of the Week awards in her career while Pelletier picked up her first weekly award. Goldring is the only two-time Rookie of the Week in the MAAC this season.

BREAKING FREE
Quinnipiac's dynamic junior class of Nadya Gill (11 goals, eight assists), Al Pelletier (six goals, five assists) and Madison Borowiec (four goals, six assists) all are enjoying career years, setting new single-season career highs in points, goals and assists. The trio have accounted for 64 of Quinnipiac's 119 total points on the season (53.8 percent).

GOLD-RING LEADER
Redshirt freshman Kelsey Goldring has turned in a stellar rookie season for Quinnipiac, sitting tied with Al Pelletier for second on the team with 17 points (five goals, seven assists) in 2017. Her point total leads all MAAC rookies while she sits tied for fifth in the league in total points and tied for sixth in points per game (1.00). Golding exploded for seven points (two goals, three assists) in a 11-0 win at Saint Peter's and leads the team with three game-winning goals.

SCORING GOALS LIKE IT'S NADYA'S BUSINESS
Nadya Gill racked up three points in the 4-0 win over Niagara as she continues to lead the MAAC in points (30) and goals (11) while sitting second in assists (eight) through regular season play. The next-closest player's point total in the league is Rider's Michelle Iacono with 23 (seven points behind Gill). Gill is currently one of 55 players in the nation with a double digit goal total as she is tied for 22^nd in the nation with 11 goals in 2017.

YEAH SHE'S UP THERE
Nadya Gill enters postseason play leading her team and the MAAC in a vast majority of offensive stats as she currently sits tied for 13^th in the nation in points per game (1.76), tied for 33^rd in goals per game (0.65) and tied for 28^th in assists per game (0.47). As far as her career totals, Gill sits tied for seventh all-time at Quinnipiac in career goals (28), tied for 10^th in career assists (14) and ninth in career points (70).

SHE'S A KEEPER
Olivia Myszewski has been solid in net all season, finishing off her fifth clean sheet of the season in a 1-0 road win at Canisius last Saturday. Settling in after a difficult non-conference slate, Myszewski sported a 0.74 goals-against average, 51 saves (5.1 per game), 0.864 save percentage and four shutouts while playing all 966:44 possible minutes during MAAC regular season play. The stat line is a considerable improvement from her play last season in the MAAC (1.34 GAA, 37 saves, 0.755 save percentage, two shutouts). Myszewski made at least six saves in six-of-10 MAAC contests while she has allowed one goal or less in eight-of-10 league games entering the postseason.

IMPORTANT POINTS
Madison Borowiec has been an integral facet in the midfield all season, picking up a career high 14 points (four goals, six assists) in her junior campaign. Coming into this season with nine points in her first 34 career games, Borowiec has more than doubled that total in her 17 appearances in 2017. When looking at her impact on the team, no stat can tell the story better than the Bobcats owning a mark of 5-0-2 in the seven games in which Borowiec records at least one point.

SUPER SENIOR
Carly Glaser had herself a day on Senior Day, as the four-year contributor scored what became the game-winning tally in a 4-0 win over Niagara (10/14). That goal was her first of the season and just the second of her career, as she added another game-winning goal to her resume. The senior's first career tally also went down as the game-winner last season in a 3-0 home win over Marist. Glaser added an assist in the 4-0 win over Niagara and posted her second assist in as many games as she all of the sudden notched four points (one goal, two assists) in a two-game span. That four-point total doubled her entire career point total compiled in the first 43 games played of her career.

QUINNIPIAC SOCCER STADIUM
Playing in the newly constructed Quinnipiac Soccer Stadium, a 1,500 seat state-of-the-art facility on the Mount Carmel Campus in Hamden, the Bobcats will enjoy playing in one of the finest home stadiums in the region for some time to come. Quinnipiac finished with an impressive 4-2-2 mark at home in their first season playing in the new stadium, with losses coming at the hands of Miami out of the ACC and league power Monmouth. The Bobcats averaged 526 fans in their eight home games, ranking first in the MAAC, while the 1027 fans on-hand for the home opening 2-0 win over Army West Point is the highest home attendance for any MAAC team this season.

PLAYING WITH 10…NO PROBLEM
Despite being shown a red card in the 12^th minute (the first red for the Bobcats since 2014), Niagara's ensuring penalty kick miss proved to be a landmark moment in the match as Quinnipiac went on to dominate the score (3-0) and shot total (15-9) following the red card in the team's 4-0 triumph over Niagara (10/14). The four-goal total is also the most Quinnipiac has ever scored in a game where the Bobcats were issued a red card.

OVERCOMING RECENT STRUGGLES
Quinnipiac saw success this season against many MAAC teams who've given the Bobcats difficulty over the recent years. Starting with a 2-1 overtime home win over Siena, the thrilling win marked the first time Quinnipiac defeated the Saints in MAAC regular season play since joining the league in 2013. In addition, that OT win over Siena marked the first time Quinnipiac scored two goals against the Saints since 2007 (seven games ago). Quinnipiac also broke a three-game losing streak against Rider, earning a 1-1 home draw with the Broncs. Finally, Quinnipiac overcame a Niagara squad that had won three straight over the Bobcats by a combined score of 11-1, as the Bobcats scored a convincing 4-0 victory on Senior Day over the Purple Eagles.

COUPLE NOTES ON THAT SAINT PETER'S WIN
Quinnipiac set a single-game program scoring record, defeating Saint Peter's 11-0 on the road on Sept. 16. The Bobcats' previous single-game scoring record came in a 9-1 win over Wagner back in the 1999 season (Dave Clarke's first as head coach). Prior to the win, Quinnipiac's previous high for goals scored in a MAAC game was four (accomplished twice). Eight different players scored at least one goal while the Bobcats saw 14 different players register at least one point on the day. Three Bobcats (Lauren Azzolino, Sophia Melendez and Estefy Estrada Zavala) all scored their first career goals while Caroline DeBonis record her first career point with an assist. Quinnipiac dished out 19 assists on the 11 goals scored, easily setting a single-game program record.