Women's Soccer

Quinnipiac and Fairfield Punch Their Tickets to MAAC Women’s Soccer Championship Final

EDISON, NJ (Nov. 2, 2023) – The semifinal round of the 2023 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Women’s Soccer Championship concluded on Thursday with the top-two seeds securing their spots in the championship final. No. 1 Quinnipiac University edged No. 6 Rider University 1-0, while No. 2 Fairfield used a second-half offensive rally to get past No. 4 Mount St. Mary’s University. 
 
No. 1 Quinnipiac - 1 | No. 6 Rider - 0
Quinnipiac Soccer & Lacrosse Stadium | HAMDEN, CT
Box Score
 
No. 1 Quinnipiac defeated No.6 Rider, 1-0 in the semifinal round of the MAAC Championship to secure their spot in the final. The first half of the match saw no scores but immediately after coming out from halftime, the Bobcats drew a foul and found themselves in scoring position. 2023 MAAC Golden Boot winner Courtney Chochol, took the penalty kick for Quinnipiac, finding the bottom right corner of the net for what would end up being the game winning goal. The Bobcats were able to maintain their 1-0 lead for the remainder of the match and come away with the win. 
 
Quinnipiac Notes and Notables
  • Quinnipiac’s offense outshot the Broncs 14-6.
  • The Bobcats had the corner kick advantage over the Broncs, taking nine compared to Rider’s two.
  • Chochol’s solo goal was her eighth of the season, 17th in her career, and her point total improved to 25 on the year.
  • 2023 MAAC Golden Glove, Sofia Lospinoso made a pair of saves, recording her eighth shutout of the season.
  • Quinnipiac extends its winning streak to 15 straight games against MAAC teams.
  • The victory marks the third consecutive year the Bobcats will appear in thee MAAC Championship title game.
  • The Bobcats will look to be the first program to win back-to-back MAAC trophies since former league foe Monmouth won four straight from 2016 through 2019.
 
Rider Notes and Notables
  • Rider got six shots off with two on goal.
  • Four Broncs logged shots against the Bobcat defense, led by Samantha Sharrocks (2), Nike Erefalk (2), Hannah Freeman (1), and Amanda Mendez (1).
  • Rider keeper, Ellie Sciancalepore, made four saves in the net.
 
No. 2 Fairfield - 3 | No. 4 Mount St. Mary’s - 0
Lessing Field | FAIRFIELD, CT
Box Score
 
No. 2 Fairfield rallied in the second half, scoring a trio of goals to get past No. 4 Mount St. Mary’s in the semifinals. The two teams played to a scoreless first, going into the locker room knotted up at 0-0. The Stags opened up the scoring outburst in the 59th minute of play when Allie Kirby recovered a rebound right in front of the net and dropped in a chip shot to put Fairfield ahead 1-0. Less than five minutes later in minute 63, Maddy Theriault got past two Mount defenders for a breakaway and beat the keeper, putting away the second goal of the night. Theriault would do it again five minutes later, rounding the keeper and sending a shot to the far left corner of the net,  making it 3-0. 
 
Fairfield Notes and Notables
  • Fairfield nearly tripled Mount St. Mary’s in shots (23-8) and held an 11-5 shots on goal advantage.
  • Theriault orchestrated the offensive attack, logging five points behind two goals and one assist on just three shots. Kirby was the other goal scorer for the Stags. 
  • Elle Scott chipped in with a pair of assists, while Meghan Carragher and Reagan Klarmann each added one helper.
  • Starting goalkeeper Katie Wright stopped five shots in the net and recorded her seventh clean sheet of 2023.
  • Fairfield advances to its first final since 2019.
  • The Stags will be looking to win their MAAC-leading eighth championship crown, their first since 2008. 
 
Mount St. Mary Notes and Notables
  • Kayla Pennington and Luisangely Navas combined to record five out of the eight shots for the Mountaineers, with Pennington taking three shots and Navas two.
  • Both of Navas attempts were on goal. 
  • Klil Keshwar played the first 82 minutes of the contests and made eight saves.
 
Quinnipiac and Fairfield will meet in the 2023 MAAC Women’s Soccer Championship final on Sunday, November 5. The Bobcats will host the Stags at the Quinnipiac Soccer and Lacrosse Stadium in Hamden, CT at 12 p.m. for the right to earn the league’s automatic bid into the NCAA Championship.
 
For all information regarding the 2023 MAAC Women’s Soccer Championship, please visit maacsports.com/wsoc.
 
About the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference:
With 11 institutions strongly bound by the sound principles of quality and integrity in academics and excellence in athletics, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) is in its 43rd year of competition during the 2023-24 academic year. Current conference members include: Canisius University, Fairfield University, Iona University, Manhattan College, Marist College, Mount St. Mary’s University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Saint Peter’s University, and Siena College. Merrimack College and Sacred Heart University will join the MAAC as full members in the 2024-25 academic year, expanding the conference to 13 institutions.
 
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