Quinnipiac Falls To UConn In NCAA Soccer Tournament
MAAC Sports
STORRS, Conn. – The Quinnipiac University men’s soccer team put up a valiant effort before falling 2-1 at the University of Connecticut in the first round of the NCAA Division I Men’s Soccer Tournament on Thursday night at Joseph Morrone Stadium.
The Bobcats ended the season, their first in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, with a 9-5-7 record, which included a share of the league’s regular season title, as well as the conference tournament championship.
After a scoreless first half, Connecticut broke through first in the 51st minute when Nicholas Zuniga took a low cross from Jakob Nerwinski and put it in the net for a 1-0 advantage.
Quinnipiac’s senior forward and leading scorer Simon Hinde scored in the 73rd minute to knot the score at 1-1. It was the 10th goal of the year for Hinde, an All-MAAC first team selection.
Mamadou Doudou Diouf scored what proved to be the game winner for the home standing Huskies in the 81st minute. Diouf took a cross from Nerwinski in the middle of the box and finished the play, scoring his first goal of the season.
The No. 10 ranked Huskies outshot Quinnipiac 13-5. Junior Borja Angoitia, the first team All-MAAC performer who was the league’s Goalkeeper of the Year, came up with four saves, including one on a penalty kick.
Connecticut, now 12-2-6, advances to the NCAA Tournament’s second round and will face America East champion University of Maryland-Baltimore County on Sunday.