Bobcats Top Fairfield, Advance to MAAC Championship Match

Wednesday, April 14

Hamden, Conn.

3:00 PM

Quinnipiac University

#5 Fairfield

Photo by: Olamide Gbotosho

Bobcats Top Fairfield, Advance to MAAC Championship Match

4/14/2021 5:47:00 PM | Men's Soccer

Box Score

Quinnipiac Returns to MAAC Finals for 4th Time Since 2013

By: QU Athletic Communications

HAMDEN, Conn. – For the fourth time in eight seasons, Quinnipiac men's soccer is headed to the championship match of the MAAC Tournament.

Tomas Svecula and Brage Aasen each scored a goal, lifting the Bobcats past Fairfield by the final score of 2-1 on Wednesday at the QU Soccer Stadium.

With the win, top-seeded Quinnipiac will now host the conference championship contest in Hamden on Saturday, April 17 at the QU Soccer Stadium. No. 1 Quinnipiac will host No. 6 Monmouth at 3:00 PM on ESPN+.

SCORE
#1 Quinnipiac 2, #5 Fairfield 1

LOCATION
QU Soccer Stadium | Hamden, Conn.

RECORDS
Quinnipiac (7-1-0, 5-1-0 MAAC) / Fairfield (4-3-1, 3-2-1 MAAC)

QUOTING HEAD COACH Eric Da Costa
"I'm really proud of the effort today from our group. When you get to this stage – winning and moving on is all that matters, and I'm really happy that we were able to do that…

We've had to deal with some things this year that we've never had to deal with before. But we have a locker room full of guys who get it. They're willing to fight for one another, they're proud to compete for Quinnipiac University, proud to be a part of this program and they really want to be successful."

SCORING SUMMARY

FIRST HALF
(16' – Quinnipiac 1, Fairfield 0): Tomas Svecula got the Bobcats on the board in the 16^th minute of play. Jordon Bennett whipped the ball in to the box to David Bercedo – who collected, turned, and played it to his left to Svecula. The sophomore blasted a shot into the back of the net with his right foot, giving Quinnipiac a 1-0 lead.

SECOND HALF
(57' – Quinnipiac 2, Fairfield 0): The Bobcats took a two-goal lead less than 15 minutes into the second half. Paulo Soares carried possession the length of the field, played it ahead to Brage Aasen with his right foot – then Aasen took one touch and fired a shot into the right side of the net to make it 2-0 Quinnipiac.

(58' – Quinnipiac 2, Fairfield 1): The Stags answered less than a minute later, as Thomas Drillen scored on a pass from Joseph Stocchetti to cut the deficit to just one goal.

NOTES

Quinnipiac has now advanced to the championship round of the postseason conference tournament in four of eight seasons since joining the MAAC (2013, 2016, 2018, 2021).
The Bobcats will aim for their second-ever MAAC title on Saturday. The program also won the MAAC championship in 2013, advancing to the NCAA Tournament.
Tomas Svecula now has three goals this season, and nine for his Quinnipiac career. The goal is the sophomore's first collegiate postseason score.
David Bercedo is up to two assists after recording a helper on the first score. He has eight points this year – which currently ranks second on the team.
Jordon Bennett also recorded an assist on QU's first goal – his first helper of the campaign.
With another goal in the win, Brage Aasen is up to a team-high 14 total points (5 goals, 4 assists). Aasen has recorded at least one point in six of our eight matches this year.
Paulo Soares added his second assist of the season on Aasen's goal.

NEXT UP

With the victory, the Bobcats will host the title match of the 2021 MAAC Tournament on Saturday, April 17 at the QU Soccer Stadium in Hamden (3:00 PM ET).
To stay up-to-date with all Quinnipiac men's soccer news, follow the Bobcats on Twitter/Instagram @QU_MSOC or visit