On a warm Saturday night at Tenney Stadium coming off a 3-1 win over Canisius the Marist Red Foxes would take on the Quinnipiac Bobcats in their first matchup of the season. A game in which the Red Foxes managed to take care of business with a 2-0 win over the Bobcats.
The first half of the match saw the Red Foxes on the attack from the get-go putting pressure on the Bobcats. Despite playing with a lively and attacking style, the Red Foxes were unable to capitalize on their multitude of opportunities. Most notably it was junior forward Stefan Copetti who was craving a goal, and he had his chances but was unable to put any of them in the back of the net. Copetti had four of the ten shots from the Red Foxes in the first half, but Bobcats senior goalkeeper Antreas Hadjigavriel was a brick wall, saving six shots in the first half.
The second half, the Red Foxes were finally able to kick down the door and break through. Their presence was felt in the 68th minute when freshman forward Richard Morel found senior midfielder Skylar Conway who delivered a missile that flew past the diving Hadjigavriel for the goal, giving the Red Foxes a 1-0 lead.
In the second half, there was an increase in intensity and physicality between both teams. In the 71st minute, there was a moment where Bobcats junior forward David Bercedo and Red Foxes defenseman Demarre Montoute got into it, when Montoute got pushed by Bercedo and which led to a small skirmish between the two.
In the 85th minute, Copetti made a long run with the ball, passing by Bobcats defenders in his tracks, and slicing one past Hadjigavriel for the second goal of the game giving the Red Foxes 2-0 lead. Right after the goal, Copetti appeared to be giving the Bobcats a shushing gesture putting his finger over his mouth.
After the game, Copetti described the gesture as “just smack-talking,” adding that “we just had to show them (Quinnipiac) who’s boss.” For Copetti getting that goal after so many missed chances, he said that “I had my chances definitely on like four or five shots on target, just a matter of when I was going to put in the net and my teammates are putting me in great positions to get those chances, and luckily I ended the game with about five minutes left. So it was a good result for the team.”
The final goal by Copetti was the nail in the coffin, as the Bobcats were unable to mount any kind of comeback afterward, and the Red Foxes were close out the 2-0 win. Head coach Matt Viggiano after the game said that going into the second half the team was focused on continuing to create those open opportunities for something to fall through. “We felt like if we continue to play the way we’re playing at first and then eventually we’re gonna score, and then it turned out to be right once again,” said Viggiano.
Copetti has now extended his points streak to six consecutive games and has scored in three straight games. The Red Foxes now have four shutouts on the season, and have won their first two MAAC matches for the first time since 2015. This win against the Bobcats was also the first in program history. Marist now looks ahead to their next matchup, as they take on the Iona Gaels at home on Wednesday, October 6 at 7 p.m.
Edited by Bridget Reilly
Photo Credit: Bridget Reilly