Field Hockey Clinches Playoff Berth Behind Pair of Hat Tricks

Sunday, October 18

Hamden, CT

12:00 PM

Quinnipiac University

(9-4, 5-1)

Merrimack

(1-12, 1-5)

Team	1	2	3	4	Final F
Merrimack	1	0	0	0	1
Quinnipiac	1	1	4	1	7

FH team photo after clinching the postseason in win over Merrimack (Oct. 18, 2026 in Hamden, CT)

Photo by: Rob Rasmussen / P8Photos.com

Field Hockey Clinches Playoff Berth Behind Pair of Hat Tricks

10/18/2026 4:48:00 PM | Field Hockey

Box Score

HAMDEN, Conn. – Rozemarijn van Keulen and Ava Bleier recorded their first collegiate hat tricks as the Quinnipiac field hockey team rolled past Merrimack 7-1 on Sunday afternoon, clinching a spot in the NEC Tournament.

Bleier got the Bobcats on the board early in the opening quarter with her ninth goal of the season.

No surprise here… BLEIER GOAL! #BobcatNation x #NCAAFH https://t.co/7pgQwgooPW
— Quinnipiac Field Hockey (@QU_FH) October 18, 2026

Merrimack evened the score with its lone goal of the afternoon on a penalty corner in the final seconds of the first quarter.

Quinnipiac responded with six unanswered goals over the final three quarters, starting with Bleier's second goal of the game to put the Bobcats back in front before halftime.

Van Keulen took over in the third quarter, finding the back of the cage twice in less than three minutes to push the Quinnipiac lead to 4-1.

Less than three minutes apart… Roze is twice as nice 😏 #BobcatNation x #NCAAFH https://t.co/ESD73hStPo
— Quinnipiac Field Hockey (@QU_FH) October 18, 2026

Martina Calveira added her eighth goal of the season minutes later before van Keulen completed her first collegiate hat trick to close out the third quarter.

Marti struck with her eighth of the season!! #BobcatNation x #NCAAFH https://t.co/telbtGnRMj
— Quinnipiac Field Hockey (@QU_FH) October 18, 2026

Bleier matched van Keulen with her third goal of the afternoon midway through the final quarter, sealing the 7-1 victory and Quinnipiac's spot in the NEC Tournament.

Goals galore as Roze and Ava each record their first collegiate hat tricks 🎩🎩🎩 #BobcatNation x #NCAAFH https://t.co/ssI0GchrVO
— Quinnipiac Field Hockey (@QU_FH) October 18, 2026

Meike van Schoot made two saves in goal as the Bobcats improved to 9-4 overall and 5-1 in NEC play.

STATS & NOTES

Quinnipiac is riding a four-game winning streak for the second time this season.
The Bobcats lead the NEC in scoring, averaging 4.50 goals and 12.17 points per game.
Quinnipiac matched its season high with seven goals, previously scoring seven against LIU on Oct. 9.
Bleier recorded a career-high eight points with three goals and two assists.
Van Keulen tallied a career-high seven points with three goals and one assist.
Bleier has recorded seven goals and 17 points over her last four games, extending her point streak to four games.
Bleier leads the NEC with 11 goals overall and is tied with Calveira for the conference lead with eight goals against NEC opponents.
Van Keulen and Bleier each recorded their second multi-goal games of the season, both earning their first collegiate hat tricks.
Calveira extended her point streak to seven games with a goal and has scored in 11 of 13 games this season.
Bleier, van Keulen and Calveira have each recorded more than 20 points this season, setting career highs for all three.
The trio also ranks as the top three point scorers against NEC opponents.
Jule Hoefer, Alexa Kidd and Senne Fassbender each recorded an assist.
Fassbender tallied her first collegiate point, while Kidd and Hoefer each recorded their second and third assists of the season.

UP NEXT
The Bobcats return to NEC play with a trip to New Haven on Friday, Oct. 23, before hosting non-conference opponent Yale for Youth Day on Sunday, Oct. 25. Both games are scheduled for noon.

For more information on Quinnipiac Field Hockey, visit gobobcats.com/fh and follow the team on Twitter and Instagram, @QU_FH.