
QU Women's Lacrosse Continues Road Swing at Hofstra on Saturday
3/17/2017 6:08:00 PM | Women's Lacrosse
Bobcats in the Midst of a Four-Game Span Playing Away from Home
Quinnipiac Bobcats (1-5, 0-0 MAAC) at
Hofstra Pride (2-3, 0-0 CAA)
Saturday, March 18, 2017 – 12:00 PM
James M. Shuart Stadium – Hempstead, NY
All-Time Series vs. Hofstra: 0-4
Follow the Game
Live Stats: GoHofstra.com
Live Video: GoHofstra.com
Twitter: @QU_WLAX
The Quinnipiac women's lacrosse team faces a daunting task as the Bobcats fly back to the east coast and have just one day to prepare for a Saturday 12 PM start against the Hofstra Pride. Wrapping up their spring break trip in California, the Bobcats suffered defeats to UC Davis on Sunday and Fresno State on Thursday but Quinnipiac gave the 6-2 Bulldogs everything they could handle yesterday in a 9-8 loss. This marks the fourth straight season Quinnipiac will face Hofstra, still looking for their first win over the Pride.
SCOUTING THE PRIDE
Hofstra comes in with a mark of 2-3 on the season, currently riding a three-game losing streak after consecutive season-opening wins over Bucknell and Wagner. In that three-game span, however, the Pride have had to tackle a brutal stretch of games coming against traditional MAAC power Fairfield (L, 19-14), saddled with a pair of home losses to national powers No. 1 Maryland (L, 18-7) and No. 19 Johns Hopkins (L, 12-4). Hofstra is coming off a disappointing 3-13 season in 2016 that featured a 1-5 mark in CAA play but the Pride did defeat Quinnipiac, 13-5, in Hamden last season to account for one of the team's three victories on the season. Hofstra's offense is initiated off the stick of leading scorer Alyssa Parrella who comes in with 24 points (17 goals, seven assists) through five games played, leading the CAA averaging 4.8 points per game. Three other scorers for Hofstra are in double figures including Lexi Lenaghan (11-2-13), Drew Shapiro (9-3-12) and Carlee Ancona (4-7-11) but Parrella's production clearly is a key spot for the Pride on offense as she has either scored or assisted on 24 of the Pride's 54 total goals this season. Shea McAvoy leads the defensive unit with 16 ground balls and nine caused turnovers (both team-highs) while Maddie Fields has played every minute in the cage for Hofstra posting 12.80 GAA, 42 saves and .396 save percentage through 300 minutes.
LAST TIME OUT VS. HOFSTRA (L, 13-5)
Hofstra completely dominated the first half, outscoring the Bobcats 8-1 before the break and cruised to a 13-5 victory in Hamden last season. A comparison of the stat sheet following the game shows these teams were very evenly matched with Hofstra holding a slight edge in nearly every major statistical category including shots (29-27), ground balls (24-23), draw controls (11-8) and turnovers (14-13). The difference in the game was Hofstra's goalkeeper Alexis Greene who posted 11 saves on 16 shots-on-goal.
SENIOR MOMENT
Alex Hlesciak played the game of her life against Fresno State (3/16) as the senior racked up a career high five goals in a 9-8 loss to the Bulldogs. In 45 games prior to the match at Fresno State, Hlesciak tallied a single-game high of two goals on six different occasions. She exploded for five goals, more than double her previous career-best, while scoring four straight goals for the Bobcats. Hlesciak's five-goal spree bumps her season total up to 10, leading the team in that category.
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).
SHUTTING THE DOOR
Junior goalkeeper Kyle Larkin played one of the best games of her career as she racked up a career high 16 saves in a loss to UC Davis (3/12). Posting 11 of her 16 saves in the first half alone, Larkin surpassed her previous career high of 14 from a road game at Siena last season. Larkin has been stellar over the last two games as she has accumulated 27 saves (13.5 per game) over that span, giving her 10 double digit save outings for her career.
INSTANT IMPACT
Quinnipiac fought hard in a 12-8 non-conference road loss to Sacred Heart (3/1), rattling off four straight goals to trail just 8-7 with 8:27 remaining and a huge spark in the run came from a Bobcat making her first career appearance. Missing the entire 2016 season and the first two games of 2017 due to injury, sophomore Kaitlin Unser took the field for the first time in her career against the Pioneers and immediately scored consecutive goals within the 4-0 run. Unser's goal scoring ability seen frequently in high school (139 career goals for Smithtown High School in New York) was ever-present in her first collegiate appearance.
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.
Hofstra Pride (2-3, 0-0 CAA)
Saturday, March 18, 2017 – 12:00 PM
James M. Shuart Stadium – Hempstead, NY
All-Time Series vs. Hofstra: 0-4
Follow the Game
Live Stats: GoHofstra.com
Live Video: GoHofstra.com
Twitter: @QU_WLAX
The Quinnipiac women's lacrosse team faces a daunting task as the Bobcats fly back to the east coast and have just one day to prepare for a Saturday 12 PM start against the Hofstra Pride. Wrapping up their spring break trip in California, the Bobcats suffered defeats to UC Davis on Sunday and Fresno State on Thursday but Quinnipiac gave the 6-2 Bulldogs everything they could handle yesterday in a 9-8 loss. This marks the fourth straight season Quinnipiac will face Hofstra, still looking for their first win over the Pride.
SCOUTING THE PRIDE
Hofstra comes in with a mark of 2-3 on the season, currently riding a three-game losing streak after consecutive season-opening wins over Bucknell and Wagner. In that three-game span, however, the Pride have had to tackle a brutal stretch of games coming against traditional MAAC power Fairfield (L, 19-14), saddled with a pair of home losses to national powers No. 1 Maryland (L, 18-7) and No. 19 Johns Hopkins (L, 12-4). Hofstra is coming off a disappointing 3-13 season in 2016 that featured a 1-5 mark in CAA play but the Pride did defeat Quinnipiac, 13-5, in Hamden last season to account for one of the team's three victories on the season. Hofstra's offense is initiated off the stick of leading scorer Alyssa Parrella who comes in with 24 points (17 goals, seven assists) through five games played, leading the CAA averaging 4.8 points per game. Three other scorers for Hofstra are in double figures including Lexi Lenaghan (11-2-13), Drew Shapiro (9-3-12) and Carlee Ancona (4-7-11) but Parrella's production clearly is a key spot for the Pride on offense as she has either scored or assisted on 24 of the Pride's 54 total goals this season. Shea McAvoy leads the defensive unit with 16 ground balls and nine caused turnovers (both team-highs) while Maddie Fields has played every minute in the cage for Hofstra posting 12.80 GAA, 42 saves and .396 save percentage through 300 minutes.
LAST TIME OUT VS. HOFSTRA (L, 13-5)
Hofstra completely dominated the first half, outscoring the Bobcats 8-1 before the break and cruised to a 13-5 victory in Hamden last season. A comparison of the stat sheet following the game shows these teams were very evenly matched with Hofstra holding a slight edge in nearly every major statistical category including shots (29-27), ground balls (24-23), draw controls (11-8) and turnovers (14-13). The difference in the game was Hofstra's goalkeeper Alexis Greene who posted 11 saves on 16 shots-on-goal.
SENIOR MOMENT
Alex Hlesciak played the game of her life against Fresno State (3/16) as the senior racked up a career high five goals in a 9-8 loss to the Bulldogs. In 45 games prior to the match at Fresno State, Hlesciak tallied a single-game high of two goals on six different occasions. She exploded for five goals, more than double her previous career-best, while scoring four straight goals for the Bobcats. Hlesciak's five-goal spree bumps her season total up to 10, leading the team in that category.
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).
SHUTTING THE DOOR
Junior goalkeeper Kyle Larkin played one of the best games of her career as she racked up a career high 16 saves in a loss to UC Davis (3/12). Posting 11 of her 16 saves in the first half alone, Larkin surpassed her previous career high of 14 from a road game at Siena last season. Larkin has been stellar over the last two games as she has accumulated 27 saves (13.5 per game) over that span, giving her 10 double digit save outings for her career.
INSTANT IMPACT
Quinnipiac fought hard in a 12-8 non-conference road loss to Sacred Heart (3/1), rattling off four straight goals to trail just 8-7 with 8:27 remaining and a huge spark in the run came from a Bobcat making her first career appearance. Missing the entire 2016 season and the first two games of 2017 due to injury, sophomore Kaitlin Unser took the field for the first time in her career against the Pioneers and immediately scored consecutive goals within the 4-0 run. Unser's goal scoring ability seen frequently in high school (139 career goals for Smithtown High School in New York) was ever-present in her first collegiate appearance.
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
Quinnipiac Athletics 2024-25 Highlight Video
Tuesday, May 20
Quinnipiac vs. Canisius
Wednesday, April 16
WLAX vs. Merrimack (4/9/25)
Wednesday, April 09
Women's Lacrosse vs Sacred Heart (3.29)
Saturday, March 29