Rebecca Cooke’s Hat Trick Leads Quinnipiac Over Saint Peter’s
October 9, 2021
It was senior day in Hamden where Quinnipiac women’s soccer faced off against Saint Peter’s Saturday afternoon.
The Bobcats, entering the match on a three-game win streak, would try to keep their home record perfect by playing the Peacocks who are coming off their first win of the season.
Sophomore Rebecca Cooke and senior Selena Salas contributed to all but one of the goals in a 5-0 victory for the Bobcats. Cooke had a hat trick, making her total 12 goals this year, while Salas had three assists of her own to make it a team-high nine on the season.
The scoring began 25 minutes in with a corner kick earned by Olivia Kudrikow, who later had a goal of her own in the second half. Salas took the corner and found Cooke at the edge of the box. She responded with a looping shot over the goalkeeper to make it 1-0.
Just six minutes later, Salas found Courtney Chochol for her third goal of the season to make the lead 2-0. Salas and Cooke combined for another goal in the 37th minute to give the Bobcats a 3-0 lead and Salas her third assist of the half.
“The vibes are high,” Cooke said. “Everyone is getting involved. Completely team goals every single time.”
However, the game wasn’t all about the scoring for the Bobcats. It was the third clean sheet in a row behind goalkeepers Sofia Lospinoso and Meaghan Phillips.
The only true opportunity for the Peacocks was when Julianna Jatkola got the ball into space and was all alone with just Phillips to beat late in the game. Jatkola put a strike into the bottom corner and Phillips had a kick save to keep the shutout going.
“Today it was about the keepers,” head coach Dave Clarke said. “Credit to Meaghan for the clearance and for the save.”
Ceremonies before and after the game for the seniors were also a part of the story. Five seniors were in the starting lineup, including Salas and her three assists.
“There is a lot of emotion in it,” senior Lauren Wendland said. “It’s a matter of getting the job done no matter that we are seniors or not and we did that.”
The Bobcats look to extend their winning streak as they are back in Hamden on Wednesday playing against the Canisius Golden Griffs.
