Photo Courtesy of QU Athletics

By Andrew Badillo

Last year was successful MAAC debut for the Quinnipiac field hockey team. The Bobcats won the 2014 MAAC Championship. However, this year’s team will look quite different then last years. Gone are four of the team’s five leading point scorers from last season. Most significant is the loss of the school’s all-time leading scorer, Jess Rusin. It’ll be up to head coach Becca Main and her staff to maintain the team’s offensive production from last season with her new group in order to have a chance at repeating as MAAC Champions.

The Bobcats face a tough opponent in their first game of the season as they host the Boston College Eagles. The Eagles finished tenth in last years NCAA Field Hockey RPI standings. Last season the Bobcats traveled up to Chestnut Hill, Mass. where they lost to the 19th ranked Eagles, 2-3. This game is crucial for the Bobcats as it will be a tough task right away for an inexperienced 2014 Bobcats squad. Out of the Bobcats top five points leaders from last season, Danielle Allan is the only player returning. The offensive burden will most likely be placed on Allan, however Junior forward, Savanna Reilly, and incoming Freshman midfielder, Michelle Federico, will look to bolster the Bobcats offense. A win over the Eagles would get the Bobcats off to a great start, but it will be especially important for the Bobcats to score goals in order to bolster the confidence in their young offense.

Another early out of conference test for the Bobcats will be the game against the Penn State Nittany Lions. The Nittany Lions are the two time defending BIG 10 champions and finished last season ranked ninth in NCAA Field Hockey RPI. A win against a national powerhouse such as Penn State would give Quinnipiac a surreal start to the season. The Boston College and Penn State games present the Bobcats with an excellent opportunity to get off to perhaps the best start in program history.

Quinnipiac will once again face off against rival Yale this season. Last year the Bobcats defeated the Bulldogs 3-2 at hone, despite a second half charge by the Bulldogs. Even though it is an out of conference game, the rivalry that both teams share ups the anti quite a bit. This game is important for Quinnipiac as it could potentially be a trap game for the Bobcats.

Another out of conference that will be important for the Bobcats is the Oct. 12 matchup against the Old Dominion Lady Monarchs. This could possibly be the most difficult game for the Bobcats this season. Quinnipiac was defeated by a very good Old Dominion team last season 0-7. Last season the Lady Monarchs defeated No. 4 UConn (5-0), No. 2 University of North Carolina (3-2, OT) and No. 1 Maryland (3-2) in consecutive games. Old Dominion is returning 15 players from last season’s squad, including their five leading point scorers from 2013.

Moving to their MAAC slate, there are two matchups that are intriguing. The first is against Rider on Oct. 24. The only in conference loss that Quinnipiac suffered last season was to the Rider Broncs. The Bobcats lost 1-2 to the Broncs after Rider scored the game winning goal with less than three minutes left. Similar to Quinnipiac, Rider has also lost their points leader in forward Sandra Penas. Rider however does have many 2013 All-MAAC second team players returning such as midfielders Carlota Alsina and Rachel Ippolite, and defenders Stacey Dileo and Dezarae Fillmyer. Rider could very well be the toughest test that Quinnipiac faces in conference this season.

The second key conference matchup is against Monmouth. Last season the Bobcats defeated the Monmouth Hawks 4-2 at So Sweet A Cat Field  in West Long Branch, N.J. The Hawks have had the Bobcats number the past few seasons as Monmouth has won three out of the last four contests between the two teams. It will be important for Quinnipiac to defeat Monmouth as it is a MAAC game, but also because of the fact that the Hawks are a team that have proven to be stingy and give the Bobcats trouble in the past.

The road to repeating as MAAC Champions begins on Aug. 29 against B.C.

Follow Q30 Sports on Twitter