March 30, 2010

Game #9
Quinnipiac University Bobcats (4-4, 3-0 NEC) vs.
Monmouth University Hawks (5-5, 3-0 NEC)
Thursday, April 1, 2010 - 3 p.m.
Quinnipiac Field Hockey

Thursday's Game
The Quinnipiac University women's lacrosse team begins a two-game homestand Thursday against Monmouth at 3 p.m. The Bobcats last played at Long Island on Friday, Mar. 26, defeating the Blackbirds, 23-9. Following a five-game homestand, the LIU game was the first on the road for the team since playing Brown on Mar. 7. The Bobcats and Hawks are tied atop the Northeast Conference standings as each team has a 3-0 league record entering Thursday's contest. The game also marks the first of two this week in which the Bobcats will participate in Friends of Jaclyn, a non-profit organization geared towards improving the lives of children and their families affected by pediatric brain tumors.

Multimedia
Thursday's game can be heard live on the WQAQ web stream. Fans can also follow the action using live stats provided by quinnipiacbobcats.com. Both can be accessed by clicking the appropriate links above.

Scouting Monmouth
The Hawks come to Hamden for the first time in two years. Tied with Quinnipiac at 3-0 in NEC, Monmouth is seeking a spot in their 13th consecutive postseason conference tournament in 2010. The Hawks have never missed a postseason tournament since the beginning of the NEC. This season, Monmouth is 5-5 overall. After opening the year 0-5, the Hawks have rattled off a five-game winning streak, including three against NEC opponents. The game with the Bobcats will be the first conference road game of the season after beating its three conference opponents by an average of 5.33 goals per game in West Long Branch. Ali Pollock leads the team in goals (24), assists (9) and points (33) this season, while Kirby Mundorf has started all 10 games in goal for the Hawks, posting a goals-against average of 10.98.

Six in 30
Sophomore Devon Gibney (Hopkinton, Mass.) scored all six of her goals against the Blackbirds in the first half. All of her goals came in a 17-plus minute stretch of the first half that helped the Bobcats pull away for the big win. Four of the goals came from the free-position shot as she was perfect in the game with the opportunity. She leads the league with 11 free-position goals for an average of 1.38 per game this season.

Helping Hand
Katie Latonick (Severna Park, Md.) leads the team and NEC with 20 assists this season. Her 2.50 assists per game is tops in the conference, while she sits fifth in the nation in assists per game. Latonick now has 86 career assists, tying her for fifth amongst active Division I players.

Pass and Move
The Quinnipiac offense is the best in the NEC in 2010. Leading the league in several offensive categories, the team is averaging 14.88 goals per game this season, almost four more goals a game than the second place team. The Bobcats are also the top assisting team in the league at seven per game, while averaging a league-best 21.88 points per game

NEC Routs
Quinnipiac has combined to defeat its three conference opponents by a score of 61-23. The impressive figure of 20.33 goals per game average is more than five goals ahead of second-place Sacred Heart who has the same number of goals scored in one more game played. The Bobcats are 20th in the nation in average margin of victory, defeating teams by 4.13 this season.

Ground Ball Buddy
Junior Lauren Matuszczak (East Long Meadow, Mass.) is averaging 3.50 ground balls per game in NEC play this year. In all, Matuszczak is averaging 2.57 ground balls per game in the seven contests she has suited up for.

Lights Out
The Bobcats are far and away the best shooting team in the NEC in 2010. Quinnipiac's shooting percent of .587 is tops in the conference by .116 percentage points over second-place Robert Morris. Sacred Heart's 61 goals have come on 145 shots (.421), while the Bobcats have been far more selected, connecting on 61 of 104 shots (.587).

Anger Management
Quinnipiac is the least penalized team in the conference. Averaging just 19 fouls a contest in the three games played against conference opponents, the Bobcats have played with discipline. In contrast, those three teams averaged 30 fouls against Quinnipiac, including Long Island and Central Connecticut who combined for 73 in their two contests against the Bobcats.