Quinnipiac University
Sacred Heart
Bobcats, Pioneers Battle in MAAC First Round Friday
4/24/2025 9:04:00 PM | Women's Lacrosse
HAMDEN, Conn. — The Quinnipiac women's lacrosse team will play Sacred Heart in the first round of the MAAC Tournament on Friday in Loudonville, N.Y., on the campus of Siena University.
The Bobcats are making their second tournament appearance in the last three seasons after a conference semifinal appearance in 2023.
THE MATCHUP
Teams: Quinnipiac (9-7, 4-4 MAAC) vs. Sacred Heart (6-9, 4-4 MAAC)
Broadcast: ESPN+
Live Stats: SidearmStats
LAST TIME OUT: vs. RIDER
The Bobcats dropped their last regular-season game against Rider, 16-13, finishing with a 4-4 record in MAAC play. Rider came out strong with two quick goals and added five more in the first quarter, marking their highest-scoring period of the game, while Quinnipiac managed two. By halftime, however, the Bobcats had cut the deficit to one, outscoring Rider 4-2 in the second frame.
In the second half, both teams battled evenly. EllaGrace Delmond led the Quinnipiac offense, finishing with four goals, including one in the fourth quarter, but the Bobcat offense could not overcome a 22-9 deficit in the draw circle. Abby Wise stood out with one goal and three assists, becoming the seventh player in program history to reach 60 points in a season.
BACK IN THE DANCE
The Quinnipiac women's lacrosse program is back in the MAAC tournament for the second time in three seasons and the third time in the last five editions, dating back to 2021. The Bobcats knocked off Canisius in their first matchup of the 2023 tournament en route to its first berth in the conference semifinals. Standing in the way this time will be a familiar foe in Sacred Heart, a team the Bobcats have played already this season, with Siena awaiting the winner on Sunday afternoon.
The Bobcats are looking for their first trip to the MAAC Tournament championship game and enter the tournament winners of four of their last five.
AL(L) THE AWARDS
Shannon Alden cleaned up as a first-year goalkeeper for the Bobcats, earning All-Rookie, First Team All-MAAC, Goalie of the Year and Rookie of the Year honors, the league announced on Thursday afternoon. The Blue Point, N.Y., native is the first MAAC rookie since 2015 to win two major awards in the same season. Her 9.81 saves per game led the MAAC and ranked 17th in the country, while she ranked second in the conference in saves and save percentage, and fourth in goals-against average. Alden was the lone first year player to earn All-MAAC First Team honors as well as making the All-Rookie Team. Moreover, she recorded 23 ground balls and caused seven turnovers.
DRAW QUEEN
Junior Sophia Coan became the program's new single-season draw control record holder, snatching her 68th of the year on the opening draw of the game, passing Sophia Iaccino's mark from 2021 for the top spot on the season leaderboard.
Her 4.25 draw controls per game are good for fourth in the league.
CLIMBING THE LEADERBOARD
EllaGrace Delmond and Abby Wise are cementing their names as some of the top offensive names in program history when their collegiate careers end in the next few weeks. Delmond joined the 100-goal club at Fairfield, becoming just the 11th Bobcat to hit the mark, and is sixth all-time in career goals with 124. She is the only Bobcat who will graduate this decade to reach that mark and is one of three Bobcats in the last 10 years with 124 career goals.
Wise climbed to fourth all-time in career assists, currently at 65 career helpers over four years. That has her chasing Kyra Ochwat '15, who recorded 58 over her time. Her 33 assists this season are also the most by any Bobcat since 2013.
NATIONAL ACCOLADES
The organization announced in mid-March that inside Lacrosse recognized first-year netminder Shannon Alden as one of the Top 10 most impactful first-year students in NCAA Division I Women's Lacrosse. She enters the weekend ranked No. 17 nationally in saves per game (9.81), No. 11 in total saves (140) and No. 11 in save percentage (.498).
She is first in the MAAC in saves per game with a 9.88 average. She recorded a 20-save performance against UMass Lowell, just the second by a Bobcat goalkeeper since 2003 (Kyle Larkin, 2017) and the tenth overall in program history. She is also one of six players nationally to record that mark.
PREVIEWING THE MATCHUP:
Quinnipiac jumped out to a hot start but couldn't maintain their momentum, ultimately falling to Sacred Heart 14-11. Quinnipiac opened the game with a dominant first quarter, scoring six of the first eight goals to take a 6-2 lead.
However, the early advantage slipped away as Sacred Heart rallied back. Senior Abby Wise stood out, netting three goals and adding two assists. EllaGrace Delmond also tallied three goals, while freshman Peyton Choma made her mark with the first two goals of her collegiate career.
--
For an inside look at the Quinnipiac women's lacrosse program, be sure to follow it on social media @QU_WLAX or go to gobobcats.com/wlax.
