Madison Alves netted the lone score in the 50
th minute as two-time defending Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Tournament Champion and preseason favorite Quinnipiac edged upstart Siena Women's Soccer 1-0 in Hamden, Connecticut.
Surging Quinnipiac (4-2-1, 2-0) came out firing to open both halves on their way to securing their fourth straight victory, all of which have been shutout triumphs.
The Bobcats fired off both five shots and corners apiece within the opening 10 minutes of action, but Siena (5-5, 2-1) weathered the storm. The Saints controlled the final portion of the opening stanza, as the match headed to the half in a scoreless deadlock.
But once again Quinnipiac blitzed Siena to open the second half – registering six shots and three corners within the first seven minutes alone – and this time cashed in. Less that five minutes into the stanza, a Rachel Roman corner from the left was finished by Alves whose shot just crossed the goal line before being cleared off a hair too late.
The Saints had their chances at the equalizer down the stretch, but were fended off by the Bobcats and Sofia Lospinoso, who made five saves to record the clean sheet.
The setback snapped a three-match win streak for Siena, as Quinnipiac cooled off a Saints offense which had erupted for 13 goals while averaging 24.3 shots during that stretch. The Bobcats held a 23-9 advantage in shots – albeit just an 8-5 edge on target – and a 12-4 margin in corners to run their home unbeaten streak in conference contests to 19 straight (18-0-1), while outscoring MAAC foes by a 60-5 margin.
But Siena, which accounted for the lone blemish during that time in a 1-1 draw in the 2021 MAAC Semifinals which saw Quinnipiac prevail in penalties, gave the Bobcats one of their stiffest home league tests since that time, thanks in large part to keeper
Cate Burns. The freshman had her most active match yet – and answered the call – collecting a season-high six saves.
The Saints return to the Capital Region for another stiff test when they host last season's runner-up Fairfield on Senior Day next Saturday at 1 p.m. on Hickey Field. Siena will honor their senior class in a special ceremony just prior to the front-end of a Siena Soccer doubleheader with the men's team.
