Women Host First Conference Game on Sunday, Sept. 26 at 12 PM
The Quinnipiac women's soccer team plays its first Northeast Conference match against the Blue Devils of Central Connecticut State University on Sunday, Sept. 26 at the Quinnipiac Soccer Field in Hamden, Conn. The game is scheduled to begin at noon.
Scouting the Blue Devils
CCSU travels to Quinnipiac (2-4-0) with an overall record of 4-5-0. The Blue Devils have scored 14 goals on the season. Back in August, the Blue Devils lost their first two games of the season against Army, 1-0, and Boston College, 3-0. The Blue Devils won their next two games against Holy Cross, 3-2, and Columbia, 2-1. Central lost against non-conference opponents La Salle, 2-1, Providence, 3-2, and Connecticut, 5-0. In its most recent games, CCSU beat Hartford, 3-1, and Albany, 3-0. Senior Beth Lloyd leads the CCSU offense with 17 points, eight goals and one assist. Freshmen Allison Kelley and Kerriann Welch both have two goals on the season. Each has earned six and five points, respectively. Starting eight games in net for the Blue Devils and making 42 saves is freshman Nikola Deiter. Sophomore Jamie Trayler has played in two games and made a total of six saves. Together the keepers have allowed 18 goals overall. CCSU seniors Beth Lloyd and Abby Graham were recognized by the NEC on Sept. 20. Lloyd was named adidas/NEC Co-Player of the week after scoring a hat-trick in the team's win against Hartford on Friday, Sept. 19. Fellow senior Abby Graham was named adidas/NEC Defensive Player of the Week after allowing only one goal in 180 minutes of action. Freshman Allison Kelley was named the conference's Rookie of the Week after contributing two assists in the Hartford win and two goals against Albany.
All-Time Against CCSU
The Bobcats are 4-7 all-time against Central, holding a 2-3 record in home games and 2-4 record away. The Bobcats and Blue Devils most recently played last season on Sept. 27 at CCSU. Quinnipiac was edged by Central 3-2 as Kemesha Woodfine (Stamford, Conn.) scored her first collegiate goal. Also scoring for the Bobcats was forward Furtuna Velaj off of a penalty kick inside the box. Quinnipiac goalie Kendra Margulies (Weston, Mass.) recorded four saves in the game, while CCSU keeper Caity Casey made six.
Lucky Number Four
Quinnipiac junior Furtuna Velaj (Stamford, Conn.) earned her fourth-career hat trick in the Dartmouth win on Friday, Sept. 17. With the three goals, Furtuna now leads the Bobcats with nine points and four goals. Velaj was named adidas/NEC Co-Player of the Week on Sept. 20 after the win against Dartmouth. The NEC honor is also the fourth of her career.
Strassner Sets the Tone
Sophomore Jillian Strassner (Avon, Conn.) scored the game-winning goal against Rhode Island on Sunday, Sept. 19. The lone goal was Strassner's first of the season and assisted by freshman Aine McKeever (Derry City, Ireland.).
Kelly Gets the Win
Sophomore Jillian Kelley (Simsbury, Conn.) earned her first two wins of the season last weekend in the games against Dartmouth and Rhode Island. Kelley has started in every game for the Bobcats and has made a total of 30 saves on the season. Kelley has allowed 10 goals in the team's six games.
Next Weekend For The Bobcats
Quinnipiac plays its next two match-ups on the road against two NEC opponents. The Bobcats face Wagner on Friday, Oct. 1 at the Wagner College Stadium in Staten Island, N.Y and LIU on Sunday, Oct. 3 at the LIU Field in Brooklyn, N.Y. The games are scheduled to begin at 3:30 and 12 p.m., respectively.