Quinnipiac men’s soccer advances to MAAC Championship, beats Marist in penalty kicks
Photo Courtesy: Liz Flynn
November 9, 2018
Written by: Shane Dennehy
The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference coaches predicted before the start of the 2018-19 season that Quinnipiac would finish fourth in the standings.
And after an 0-4-1 start to the season, it was tough to get a read on where Quinnipiac would finish in conference play.
Yet Quinnipiac is now in the MAAC Championship game.
A 4-3 win over Marist on Thursday in 10 rounds of penalty kicks earned the Bobcats a place in the title match.
Quinnipiac outlasted Marist with Bobcats’ sophomore Jared Mazzola coming up clutch for his team more than once.
In the thirteenth minute Samad Bounthong’s initial header got saved by Mazzola but Bounthong responded quicker than any Quinnipiac player and tapped home a rebound to record the opening goal.
Just four minutes later Bounthong would send in a cross that found the foot of Marcus Ginman, who sent his shot off of the post and into the net.
With the Red Foxes leading by two just 16 minutes into the game, the Bobcats faced some serious adversity.
Rashawn Dally, who just got named to the All-MAAC first team, stepped in and continued to show his goal scoring form that helped him earn a spot on the first team. Dally scored his sixth goal of the season, and his fourth in his last three games, with just over five minutes before the halftime break.
Quinnipiac head coach Eric Da Costa kept telling his team to believe at halftime, and made it clear to his players that although they needed an equalizing goal, they did not have to push for it.
Fortunately for Da Costa, he has the MAAC leading goal scorer on his team.
Enter Eamon Whelan.
Whelan struggled to be involved in the game for much of the first half. But just under two minutes into the second half he cut inside and left his defender lying on the ground while finessing a shot off the goalkeeper’s fingertips and into the net to score the tying goal for the Bobcats.
With just over seven minutes remaining in regulation, Quinnipiac freshman Romain Daniellou sent in a free kick that found the forehead of senior Jeppe Haehre in the box. Haehre finished with ease as he headed home the Bobcats third goal of the game.
A one goal lead and under 10 minutes to play, the Bobcats were on the verge of their first MAAC Championship game appearance since 2016.
But Marist’s Beau Hornberger had other ideas.
Hornberger took a shot that was initially saved by Mazzola, but the rebound lay in a dangerous spot. The Marist freshman reacted quickly and put the ball in the back of the net to ensure that Quinnipiac would endure overtime for its fifth time at home this season.
One play in the game that may get overshadowed occurred in the second of two overtime periods. The referee awarded Marist with a penalty kick late in that second frame of extra time, and a goal would send Marist to the Championship game.
“I think it was really harsh call at that moment in the game,” Da Costa said about the penalty. “The way the law is written, in my opinion it’s not a penalty.”
Despite the call having a potentially immense impact on the game, Mazzola maintained his cool and saved the shot from Simo Lund Jorgensen.
But that wasn’t the only penalty kick Mazzola would face.
As extra time expired, the next step in the overtime process was a shootout. Otherwise known as penalty kicks.
Quinnipiac and Marist went back and forth in the penalty shootout before senior Matthew Taylor stepped up in the seventh round.
The Bobcats captain saw his shot low and left saved. With that, Marist’s Justin Jaime had the chance to send his team to the MAAC Championship game.
The sophomore approached the penalty dot and set himself for the kick. But ultimately his shot sailed over the net.
In round 10 Quinnipiac freshman Oriac Vila had his turn. Vila got subbed out early in the first half, but came back on for the extra time and shootout.
The freshman calmly and confidently stepped up and scored. The pressure now shifted to Ernest Mitchell, needing a goal to continue the game.
And in the clutchest of situations, Mazzola came through for Quinnipiac. A diving save low and to the right clinched a Bobcats’ victory.
“I’ve never lost in (penalty kicks),” Mazzola said post game.
Quinnipiac will now play Rider in the MAAC Championship at home on Sunday afternoon.
This matchup is a rematch of the 2016 MAAC Championship. Quinnipiac won the regular season that year, and hosted the MAAC Tournament.
However it was a 3-1 Rider win that ended Quinnipiac’s hopes that season.
A win on Sunday would qualify the Bobcats for the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2013.
Highlight by: M.J. Baird
