HAMDEN, Conn. – Whenever two in-state teams get together for a soccer match, you can expect a little extra effort to be displayed by both teams. And when you sprinkle in that the two sides are playing for first place in the conference, you can expect a little more dynamic play.
And that's exactly what the Fairfield University and Quinnipiac University soccer teams displayed on Wednesday afternoon as both entered with perfect 3-0 records in Metro Conference play. After 90 minutes, the Stags came away still undefeated with a 2-1 win over the Bobcats.
Today featured a group of 11 that came together to play a solid match that at times kept Quinnipiac from mounting any consistency in the offensive third. The pressure from the midfield did not allow any build up while the back line was available to resolve any offensive opportunities that did arise.
"It was one of our better defensive displays to shut down a team that scored tons of goals at their house," Head Coach
Krystian Witkowski said. "I thought we limited their ability to control the ball as well. I thought from the front line pressing and the midfield covering the spaces that this was a good collective effort with and without the ball."
Quinnipiac had flow early in the opening minutes while Fairfield started to solve the Bobcats attack. But as the half progressed, the Stags were able to begin to hold possession for longer periods which led to several scoring chances. In the 12
th and 13
th minutes,
Cristian Ortiz and
Sean Albritton challenged up front but their shots were just off target.
Fairfield continued to hold the ball on the Quinnipiac side of the pitch which eventually led to Albritton breaking free inside the box. The sophomore was pulled down while attempting to get to a cross which resulted in a penalty kick.
Cameron Gerber stood over the spot and tucked the ball just inside the far post for his second penalty kick goal of the season.
By the end of the half, Fairfield held a slight 4-2 edge in shots with Stags goalkeeper
Evan Chomow making one save in the opening 45 minutes.
Fairfield needed just seven minutes at the start of the second half to create its second scoring opportunity.
Ethan Prescott started the play with a strong run down the left channel before threading a pass to
Pipeloore Olanrewaju. The sophomore sent the ball across the box with a pass that caught
Chris Thaggard in stride, resulting in a shot that caught the upper right corner.
The Stags appeared to be headed for their third consecutive shutout despite Quinnipiac threatening more in the second half. The Bobcats earned four corner kicks that led to most of their nine second-half shots but it was a deep run in the right side of the box that eventually led to their only goal.
When Fairfield was whistled for an infraction inside the penalty box, it was Quinnipiac's turn for a turn at the penalty spot. Taehyeon Lim took the penalty kick which was saved by Chomow. The rebound from his save bounced back to Lim who pushed the ball into the open right of the goal which cut the lead to 2-1 in the 83
rd minute.
With time running down, Quinnipiac made a few runs toward goal but once again the Stags defense was equal to the task and kept those chance from developing into danger.
Chomow finished the match with five saves off the 11 shots he faced while his counterpart Alexander Hansen stopped three stops from the 11 shots directed his way.
Next up, Fairfield, owners of five consecutive wins and an eight-game unbeaten streak (6-0-2), will head to Mount St. Mary's on Saturday afternoon for another battle of unbeatens. The Mountaineers, who own a 2-0-2 mark in Metro play, join Fairfield as the two remaining teams with unblemished conference records.
