Photo courtesy Quinnipiac Athletics
By: Josh Silverman
Hamden, CONN- The Quinnipiac Bobcats dominated its regular season finale against the Manhattan Jaspers on Senior Day 10-3. The Bobcats were able to escape without a serious injury in a game that lacked significance to the continuation of their season.
The quest for an undefeated regular season came at a small price. With around three minutes remaining in the game, senior co-captain Ryan Keenan grabbed his knee and dropped to the turf. Team trainers came out and helped him off the field.
After the game, Kennan said his knee was nothing to worry about.
“It just cramped up a bit. All good. It’s just a little hot out here and I have to be more hydrated. I’m ready to go.”
Quinnipiac had nothing to gain in the standings and risked losing players to injury. However, head coach Eric Fekete didn’t question whether or not he would sit his starters.
“I think momentum is a huge factor and you don’t want to lay off momentum. I think it meant a lot for the guys to be perfect in the MAAC. For them, I wanted to give them the opportunity to do it. You don’t want to take any chances or throw your rhythm off.”
The Bobcats escaped a devastating injury to an integral part of their team. Kennan finished the season second on the team in goals and is a leader the Bobcats desperately need going into the MAAC tournament.
Despite the scare, Kennan performed. He recorded three goals, with his last one coming with two minutes remaining in the third quarter. Kennan felt his performance was just another day at the office.
“It was pretty cool, but all-in-all we didn’t have our best shooting performance. We stuck together and got the job done.”
The Bobcats completed their first undefeated season in the MAAC since 2001. Quinnipiac held a 6-1 halftime lead and dominated the stat sheet. It had 38 first half shots compared to a mere ten for Manhattan. The second half was no different. The Bobcats ended with a 32-shot edge over the Jaspers.
Quinnipiac gets to host the conference tournament, which begins Thursday, May 5. It welcomes Canisius. Fekete sees the reward of the hard work his team put in all season.
“We have a great group of leaders and we have a really young team. I couldn’t have asked anymore and they’re the soul of this team. By hosting, we get to stay in our rhythm and routine.”
The Bobcats finished the regular season with a 6-0 MAAC record. But, the team is not satisfied. The records get reset. Junior goalie Jack Brust’s experience in last year’s devastating title game loss remains as motivation.
“I don’t think it’s any different than last year. I think last year we had as good of a chance as winning as we do this year. We have to take it one day at a time and work our hardest. We’re great enough to do it and it’s in our hands.”
