By: Sierra Goodwill
For the seventh year in a row, Quinnipiac men’s lacrosse opened up its regular season against the No. 11 Brown Bears. On a rare 60-degree February afternoon, the Bobcats felt the absence of the 2016 seniors in a 25-9 loss.
“I think in the defensive end we really felt the loss. They were really tremendous leaders,” Head coach Eric Fekete said. “They all filled a certain role and we just have to find our way again. Sometimes it takes a little while to develop your leaders.”
The defensive and midfield core for Quinnipiac definitely has some rebuilding to do with the loss of Ryan Lawler, Nate Nibbelink, Connor Meth and Chris Kendall.
The Bears had their way with the Bobcats offensively, especially in the second half, scoring 15 goals. Brown had three players with hat trick plus games, including freshman Jack Kniffin who scored six.
“You can learn a lot more from something like what just happened than you can from a win,” Jack Brust, Quinnipiac goaltender, said. “We know what we need to fix and we have a lot of time to do it.”
Even though the score was incredibly lopsided, Brust was solid in net for the Bobcats. The reigning MAAC Tournament Most Outstanding Player made 15 saves against a team with the best player in the nation in Dylan Molloy, who scored 62 goals last season.
“He’s the backbone of the operation,” Fekete said of his fifth-year goaltender. “He competes at a higher level than most of the guys at this point and he knows what it takes to win.”
“His heart is always committed to the team and even in a game where he plays exceptionally well, I think he feels like he let everybody down. I told him that is not the case.”
Last season, Quinnipiac lost to Brown 20-7 to start the year. It then went on to have its most successful season yet going undefeated in conference play, winning the MAAC Tournament and an NCAA Tournament play-in game before falling to No. 1 Maryland in the first round of the big dance.
Brust trusts that this team has what it takes to do that again this season.
“We just need to take it one step at a time and not get caught up in the highs and lows of the game, just maintain levelheadedness; and that comes with leadership,” he said. “Sometimes you need a wakeup call and how we respond is going to dictate the rest of our season.”
The Bobcats have a seasoned lineup, but Fekete said sometimes it t takes the first couple of games of a season to fully analyze the strengths and weaknesses of a new team.
“I think the first game is always where the bar is set,” Fekete said. “We have a much better feel now about what we need to do and a lot of it is the intangibles.”
With this new season came the same passion and family atmosphere that characterizes Quinnipiac men’s lacrosse. The blue and gold tent with a “QU” flag blowing in the wind above it was flooded with Bobcat families and friends in the parking lot hours before the game.
That love and chemistry is the same on the field as it is off, and Fekete truly believes that it is a major reason for the Bobcats’ success.
“It’s such a long season and team chemistry is probably the biggest ‘X-factor’ in the game. It’s something that we really embrace.”
Quinnipiac has its home opener on Saturday, Feb. 25 against Bellarmine University. The Bobcats will be playing all of its home games in Reese Stadium at Yale University this season, as Quinnipiac is in the process of constructing new facilities.
