Wednesday, March 1
Campus Field - Fairfield, CT
3:00 PM
Quinnipiac University
at
Sacred Heart
QU Women's Lacrosse Looks to Bounce Back at Sacred Heart on Wednesday
2/28/2017 3:28:00 PM | Women's Lacrosse
Bobcats Renew Longtime Rivalry with Former Northeast Conference Foe Sacred Heart
Quinnipiac Bobcats (1-1, 0-0 MAAC) at
Sacred Heart (1-1, 0-0 NEC)
Wednesday, March 1, 2017 – 3:00 PM
Campus Field – Fairfield, CT
All-Time Series vs. Sacred Heart: Sacred Heart leads 6-16
Last Meeting: L, 10-8 (March 22, 2013 – Hamden, CT)
Follow the Game
Live Stats: SacredHeartPioneers.com
Live Video: NEC Front Row
Twitter: @QU_WLAX
The Quinnipiac women's lacrosse teams looks to bounce back on Wednesday afternoon as the Bobcats (1-1) head to Fairfield to take on former conference rival Sacred Heart (1-1) at 3 PM. These two sides met 22 times as conference opponents (Sacred Heart leads all-time series 16-6) and are renewing an old rivalry for the first time since Quinnipiac joined the MAAC in 2014.
SCOUTING THE PIONEERS
Sacred Heart finished a solid 2016 campaign with an 8-8 record including a 4-3 mark in Northeast Conference play, advancing to the NEC semifinal round before being bounced by conference power Bryant, 14-13, in overtime. The Pioneers really started to click towards the tail end of the 2016 season as Sacred Heart reeled off a mark of 5-2 in the month of April. Fast forward to 2017 and Sacred Heart opened with a disappointing 19-0 loss at Brown but bounced back with a 15-12 victory over La Salle last Saturday on the road. Coming into their home opener following a 15-goal outburst, the Pioneers appear primed and ready to go as they're led by senior Alyssa Pearce who comes in with a team-high five points (two goals, three assists). Averi Farhat leads the team with four goals while Caitlin Delaney (two goals, one assist), Erin Coutts (two goals) and Anna Finn (one goal, one assist) each have at least two points on the season. Delaney is one of the best all-around players the Bobcats will see this season as she comes in with a team-leading four caused turnovers, nine draw controls and two ground balls through two games in 2017. Paige Hammick is the team's goalkeeper and she comes in with 21 saves and 31 goals allowed through two contests while posting a .404 save percentage.
SERIES HISTORY
Quinnipiac and Sacred Heart have a storied history as these two sides will be meeting for the 23rd time in the series history, more times than any other Quinnipiac opponent in program history. Armed with an all-time mark of 6-16 against Sacred Heart, the Pioneers had gotten the better of the Bobcats in the days as members of the Northeast Conference. A big rivalry developed from 2008-11 as the two sides met in the NEC Tournament all four seasons (including three straight years in the championship game). Sacred Heart claimed the NEC title via victories over the Bobcats in the title game for three straight years (2008-10) before the Bobcats finally defeated the Pioneers in the NEC semifinal round in 2011, later going on to win their first and only conference title in program history.
NEW SEASON…NEW TEAM
Trailing by three in the second half, Quinnipiac answered with five straight goals to catapult the Bobcats out front and ultimately to a season-opening 10-9 victory over CCSU (2/18). A resounding come-from-behind victory to open the career of first-year head coach Tanya Kotowicz at Quinnipiac, the victory stands as the first win in a season opener for the Bobcats since defeating UConn, 11-10, all the way back in the 2009 season (seven straight season-opening losses prior to tonight's win). Incredibly, Quinnipiac's win marks just the fourth victory in a season opener in the 19 seasons since joining the NCAA Div. I ranks (1999).
COMEBACK CATS
The thunderous three-goal second half comeback win over CCSU (2/18) marked the first time Quinnipiac overcame a three-goal deficit to win since falling behind 3-0 against Iona to come back and win 15-9 on April 9, 2014 (36 games ago). The last time Quinnipiac overcame a three-goal second half deficit came against Manhattan on March 29, 2014 (38 games ago) as the Bobcats trailed 10-6 before coming all the way back to win 12-11.
YOUTH MOVEMENT
Quinnipiac scored 10 goals in their season-opening victory over CCSU, a plateau the Bobcats reached only once in 16 games last season. Out of the 10 total goals scored, six were tallied by freshmen (Ashley Bobinski 4, Kayla Moreau 1, Brianna Fitzgerald) while nine were tallied by underclassmen (sophomore Allison Kuhn scored three goals). As a team, Quinnipiac posted 17 total points (10 goals, seven assists), 12 of which (70.6 percent) were scored by underclassmen.
SECOND HALF SUCCESS
Trailing 7-5 at the half, Quinnipiac stepped up their play considerably in the second half, outscoring CCSU 5-2 in the final 30 minutes of play to secure the come-from-behind 10-9 victory (2/18). Keying a 5-0 second half run that paved the way to victory was the Bobcat defense, who notched seven of the 10 total team saves in the second half alone. Goalkeeper Kyle Larkin tallied nine saves in the cage (six in the second half), including four straight (two on free position attempts) over a span of 4+ minutes down the stretch with the Bobcats leading by two. Brianna Fitzgerald also made a stellar defensive play, diving in front of a free position shot after Larkin was whistled for a foul and had to leave her cage, late in the game to preserve the thrilling win.
INSTANT IMPACT
Ashley Bobinski's first career game certainly stands out as one to remember as she scored four goals on four shots to make her the highest-scoring rookie in her debut as a Bobcat in program history. The last rookie to post a hat trick in her debut with Quinnipiac came back in 2012 as Kyra Ochwat tallied three goals against UConn. Bobinski scored three times, securing her hat trick after 17 minutes of play, which she added one more in the second half to give her a team-leading four tallies while igniting the game-deciding 5-0 second half run.
KUHN COMING THROUGH IN THE CLUTCH
Allison Kuhn was incredibly clutch for the Bobcats, either scoring or assisting on four of five unanswered goals for Quinnipiac including scoring the ultimate game-winner that put the Bobcats ahead 10-8 against CCSU (2/18). The Bobcats' leading returning scorer from last season (27 points – 19 goals, eight assists) tied for the team-lead in points in the victory while she added two draw controls and one caused turnover.
NEW LEADERSHIP
The 2017 season marks the first year under the leadership of new head coach Tanya Kotowicz. Kotowicz comes to Quinnipiac with a wealth of NCAA Division I women's lacrosse coaching experience, most recently as the head coach at Central Connecticut State University for the 2015 and 2016 seasons. Before being hired as the CCSU head coach, Kotowicz was the top assistant at Yale from 2012 through 2014 and Hofstra from 2008 through 2012. Before taking the position at Hofstra, Kotowicz was the head coach at Quinnipiac's Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference foe Marist in 2008 and an assistant at Saint Mary's College of California from 2006 to 2008. Kotowicz played collegiately at UConn, serving as a two-time team captain in 2004 and 2005, leading the program to an ECAC Championship in 2005.
Sacred Heart (1-1, 0-0 NEC)
Wednesday, March 1, 2017 – 3:00 PM
Campus Field – Fairfield, CT
All-Time Series vs. Sacred Heart: Sacred Heart leads 6-16
Last Meeting: L, 10-8 (March 22, 2013 – Hamden, CT)
Follow the Game
Live Stats: SacredHeartPioneers.com
Live Video: NEC Front Row
Twitter: @QU_WLAX
The Quinnipiac women's lacrosse teams looks to bounce back on Wednesday afternoon as the Bobcats (1-1) head to Fairfield to take on former conference rival Sacred Heart (1-1) at 3 PM. These two sides met 22 times as conference opponents (Sacred Heart leads all-time series 16-6) and are renewing an old rivalry for the first time since Quinnipiac joined the MAAC in 2014.
SCOUTING THE PIONEERS
Sacred Heart finished a solid 2016 campaign with an 8-8 record including a 4-3 mark in Northeast Conference play, advancing to the NEC semifinal round before being bounced by conference power Bryant, 14-13, in overtime. The Pioneers really started to click towards the tail end of the 2016 season as Sacred Heart reeled off a mark of 5-2 in the month of April. Fast forward to 2017 and Sacred Heart opened with a disappointing 19-0 loss at Brown but bounced back with a 15-12 victory over La Salle last Saturday on the road. Coming into their home opener following a 15-goal outburst, the Pioneers appear primed and ready to go as they're led by senior Alyssa Pearce who comes in with a team-high five points (two goals, three assists). Averi Farhat leads the team with four goals while Caitlin Delaney (two goals, one assist), Erin Coutts (two goals) and Anna Finn (one goal, one assist) each have at least two points on the season. Delaney is one of the best all-around players the Bobcats will see this season as she comes in with a team-leading four caused turnovers, nine draw controls and two ground balls through two games in 2017. Paige Hammick is the team's goalkeeper and she comes in with 21 saves and 31 goals allowed through two contests while posting a .404 save percentage.
SERIES HISTORY
Quinnipiac and Sacred Heart have a storied history as these two sides will be meeting for the 23rd time in the series history, more times than any other Quinnipiac opponent in program history. Armed with an all-time mark of 6-16 against Sacred Heart, the Pioneers had gotten the better of the Bobcats in the days as members of the Northeast Conference. A big rivalry developed from 2008-11 as the two sides met in the NEC Tournament all four seasons (including three straight years in the championship game). Sacred Heart claimed the NEC title via victories over the Bobcats in the title game for three straight years (2008-10) before the Bobcats finally defeated the Pioneers in the NEC semifinal round in 2011, later going on to win their first and only conference title in program history.
NEW SEASON…NEW TEAM
Trailing by three in the second half, Quinnipiac answered with five straight goals to catapult the Bobcats out front and ultimately to a season-opening 10-9 victory over CCSU (2/18). A resounding come-from-behind victory to open the career of first-year head coach Tanya Kotowicz at Quinnipiac, the victory stands as the first win in a season opener for the Bobcats since defeating UConn, 11-10, all the way back in the 2009 season (seven straight season-opening losses prior to tonight's win). Incredibly, Quinnipiac's win marks just the fourth victory in a season opener in the 19 seasons since joining the NCAA Div. I ranks (1999).
COMEBACK CATS
The thunderous three-goal second half comeback win over CCSU (2/18) marked the first time Quinnipiac overcame a three-goal deficit to win since falling behind 3-0 against Iona to come back and win 15-9 on April 9, 2014 (36 games ago). The last time Quinnipiac overcame a three-goal second half deficit came against Manhattan on March 29, 2014 (38 games ago) as the Bobcats trailed 10-6 before coming all the way back to win 12-11.
YOUTH MOVEMENT
Quinnipiac scored 10 goals in their season-opening victory over CCSU, a plateau the Bobcats reached only once in 16 games last season. Out of the 10 total goals scored, six were tallied by freshmen (Ashley Bobinski 4, Kayla Moreau 1, Brianna Fitzgerald) while nine were tallied by underclassmen (sophomore Allison Kuhn scored three goals). As a team, Quinnipiac posted 17 total points (10 goals, seven assists), 12 of which (70.6 percent) were scored by underclassmen.
SECOND HALF SUCCESS
Trailing 7-5 at the half, Quinnipiac stepped up their play considerably in the second half, outscoring CCSU 5-2 in the final 30 minutes of play to secure the come-from-behind 10-9 victory (2/18). Keying a 5-0 second half run that paved the way to victory was the Bobcat defense, who notched seven of the 10 total team saves in the second half alone. Goalkeeper Kyle Larkin tallied nine saves in the cage (six in the second half), including four straight (two on free position attempts) over a span of 4+ minutes down the stretch with the Bobcats leading by two. Brianna Fitzgerald also made a stellar defensive play, diving in front of a free position shot after Larkin was whistled for a foul and had to leave her cage, late in the game to preserve the thrilling win.
INSTANT IMPACT
Ashley Bobinski's first career game certainly stands out as one to remember as she scored four goals on four shots to make her the highest-scoring rookie in her debut as a Bobcat in program history. The last rookie to post a hat trick in her debut with Quinnipiac came back in 2012 as Kyra Ochwat tallied three goals against UConn. Bobinski scored three times, securing her hat trick after 17 minutes of play, which she added one more in the second half to give her a team-leading four tallies while igniting the game-deciding 5-0 second half run.
KUHN COMING THROUGH IN THE CLUTCH
Allison Kuhn was incredibly clutch for the Bobcats, either scoring or assisting on four of five unanswered goals for Quinnipiac including scoring the ultimate game-winner that put the Bobcats ahead 10-8 against CCSU (2/18). The Bobcats' leading returning scorer from last season (27 points – 19 goals, eight assists) tied for the team-lead in points in the victory while she added two draw controls and one caused turnover.
NEW LEADERSHIP
The 2017 season marks the first year under the leadership of new head coach Tanya Kotowicz. Kotowicz comes to Quinnipiac with a wealth of NCAA Division I women's lacrosse coaching experience, most recently as the head coach at Central Connecticut State University for the 2015 and 2016 seasons. Before being hired as the CCSU head coach, Kotowicz was the top assistant at Yale from 2012 through 2014 and Hofstra from 2008 through 2012. Before taking the position at Hofstra, Kotowicz was the head coach at Quinnipiac's Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference foe Marist in 2008 and an assistant at Saint Mary's College of California from 2006 to 2008. Kotowicz played collegiately at UConn, serving as a two-time team captain in 2004 and 2005, leading the program to an ECAC Championship in 2005.
Players Mentioned
ATTACK
/ Women's Lacrosse
MIDFIELD
/ Women's Lacrosse
MIDFIELD
/ Women's Lacrosse
GOALKEEPER
/ Women's Lacrosse
ATTACK
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