Women's Soccer Hosts Monmouth and Mount St. Mary's This Weekend
Quinnipiac University vs. Monmouth University
Quinnipiac Soccer Field - Hamden, Conn.
Sunday, Oct. 10, 2010 - 12 p.m.
Quinnipiac University at Mount St. Mary's University
Quinnipiac Soccer Field - Hamden, Conn.
Bobcats Back Home This Weekend
The Quinnipiac University women's soccer team hosts two Northeast Conference match-ups this weekend at the Quinnipiac Soccer Field in Hamden, Conn. The Bobcats play Monmouth University (1-1-1 NEC, 6-4-1) on Friday, Oct. 8 at 3:30 p.m. and Mount St. Mary's University (0-2-1 NEC, 3-6-3) on Sunday, Oct. 10 at Noon. After a 0-0-2 run last weekend, Quinnipiac is currently ranked fourth in the NEC with a record of 1-0-2. The Bobcats are 3-4-2 overall.
Play For the Cure
The Bobcats will be wearing pink t-shirts, before Sunday's game, in support of the Susan G. Komen "Play for the Cure" Program. Also, parents of the players will be collecting donations and selling coffee and hot chocolate as an additional fundraiser.
Follow The Games Live
Live stats for this weekend's games against Monmouth and Mount St. Mary's will be available. To access the live stats, please click on the appropriate links on the women's soccer schedule at www.quinnipiacbobcats.com.
Scouting Monmouth
Monmouth travels to Quinnipiac after already playing three conference games this season. The Hawks tied against Mount. St Mary's, 1-1, beat Saint Francis (Pa.), 3-1, and lost in its most recent outing at Robert Morris, 2-0. Monmouth is currently ranked fifth in the NEC with four points, along with Bryant and Sacred Heart. Leading Monmouth's offense is freshman Dana Costello, with seven goals and an assist. Senior Mary Wilks has made an impact for the Hawks tallying four goals and three assists. Courtney Snyder and Kim Malecki both scored two goals and made one assist on the season. Starting in net for Monmouth is Lia Fierro. The senior goalie has started in every game for the Hawks and has made 49 saves and allowed 10 goals on the season. The Hawks are coached by Coach Krissy Turner, who is in her 13th season with the team.
All-time Against The Hawks
Quinnipiac holds an overall record of 3-9-1 with Monmouth. Last season, the Bobcats faced the Hawks twice, first during the regular season and again in the semi-finals of the Northeast Conference Tournament. Quinnipiac lost in its first match-up, 4-1, on Oct. 25. Megan McLoughlin scored Quinnipiac's only goal, which was assisted by Furtuna Velaj. The Bobcats went on to lose, 1-0, against the Hawks in the NEC tournament on Nov. 6, 1-0.
Scouting Mount St. Mary's
Mount St. Mary's comes to Quinnipiac with a two-game losing streak against NEC opponents Robert Morris and Saint Francis (Pa). The Mountaineers lost in those games 1-0 and 6-1, respectively. Sarah Malpezzi scored the Mount's only goal in their most recent outing at Saint Francis (Pa.). Mount. St Mary's is currently tied with Central Connecticut State for ninth place in the NEC. Leading the Mountaineers with eight points and four goals is sophomore Kelly Baker. Malpezzi, a junior midfielder, is second on the team in points (4) and has two goals on the season. Leading the team in assists (3) is junior Sadie Winship. Alicia Miller has started as the Mount's goalie in twelve of its 14 games this season. The junior has allowed 13 goals and made 47 saves on the season. Tom Gosselin is in his fourth season as the Head Coach for the Mountaineers.
All-Time Against The Mount
Quinnipiac is currently 7-1-3 with Mount St. Mary's. In its most recent match-up on Oct. 23 at the Mount's home turf, the Bobcats were victorious over the Mountaineers, 3-2, in a game played into double-overtime. Quinnipiac's Furtuna Velaj scored the game winning goal in the last few seconds of the second overtime period. Also scoring for the Bobcats were Susan Donovan and Meagan McLoughlin.
Double-Overtime Play
The Bobcats played both of their NEC contests last weekend into double-overtime. The first game held on Oct. 1 at Wagner College, resulted in a 1-1 draw. Freshman Beck Kiting (Canberra, Australia) scored her second goal of the season in the 29th minute of play. Quinnipiac's game at Long Island University on Oct. 3 resulted in a scoreless tie after 110 minutes of play.
Velaj's Voyage Featured On ESPN.com
Junior forward Furtuna Velaj (Stamford, Conn.) was featured on ESPN.com on Tuesday Oct. 4, in "From refugee to soccer star," written by Graham Hays. The story captures Velaj's journey from her native Kosovo to the United States, as well as her future academic aspirations beyond her soccer career. Velaj currently leads the team with 11 points and five goals this season.
Coach Clarke Close To 100 Wins
Head Coach Dave Clarke, who is in his 12th season with the Bobcats, needs one more win to reach 100 career wins.
On The Road Again
Quinnipiac travels for its first of four consecutive away games in a conference match against Saint Francis (Pa.) at the DeGol Field in Loretto, Pa. on Friday, Oct. 15 at 4 p.m. It then heads to Moon Township, Pa. to face Robert Morris at the North Athletic Complex on Sunday, Oct. 17 at 1 p.m.