Senior goalie Mason Oak saved 21 of Marist’s (3-4, 1-1 MAAC) 29 shots on goal in a thrilling 8-7 Quinnipiac (2-5, 2-0 MAAC) win at Tenney Stadium Saturday afternoon. The MAAC preseason Player of the Year blocked a last second attempt from sophomore attacker Steven Cain, securing his team’s win.
Neither offense found the net with consistency, with only 15 goals scored despite over 85 shots attempted. Freshman goalie Adam Wacholder earned his second start of his career for Marist, saving 11 but ultimately conceding eight.
Junior midfielder Drew Anderson led the way for Marist’s attack, scoring two. Marist’s other stars were largely held quiet as graduate student midfielder Josh Balcarcel only managed an assist despite seven shots. Sophomore attacker Collin Patrick scored one and assisted two others, but ultimately the pair who combined for 10 points against Iona put up four in this one.
Patrick’s lone goal was off of Balcarcel’s lone assist, with the sophomore finishing beautifully behind-the-back to beat Oak.
Sophomore attacker Nate Watson and sophomore midfielder Johnny Karafa each grabbed a pair of goals for the Bobcats, with four others getting involved in the scoring. Senior attacker Owen Murray found the back of the net while also assisting two more; junior attacker Justin Robbert also dished out a pair.
The penalty flags flew high and often in this MAAC matchup, with Quinnipiac called for 10 total. Marist only capitalized on three of these chances despite averaging a goal on just under 50% of their EMO opportunities.
The Red Foxes were flagged three times, but the Bobcats power play unit scored on just one and move to 2-19 with an extra man this season.
Senior faceoff specialist Dylan Bedell dominated the draw today, winning 11 of his 15 attempts. Freshman Josh Smith won half of his four faceoffs as well, with the pair combining nicely for the Red Foxes.
Marist’s first two goals came from freshman midfielder Dylan Rocchio grabbing the first, and attacker Brady Dolan scoring the second. Both of those goals marked the first career goals for the freshman.
Senior defender Aiden McCaffrey had another strong defensive performance, scooping four ground balls and causing two turnovers. Junior long-stick midfielder Ryan Downing also caused two turnovers while picking up four ground balls in Quinnipiac’s best defensive performance of the season, limiting their opposition to single digit goals for the first time this season.
Cain was another Marist player blanked by Oak. Cain put five of his eight shots on net yet failed to grab his ninth goal on the year. Sophomore midfielder Sean Mullen handed out two assists, but was kept off the goalsheet even though he rifled eight shots, three being on frame.
Oak’s saves per game number advances to around 13 and a half, good for top-10 in the country as of March 15. With five minutes left in the game, Oak rushed back to his net after a turnover to make a miraculous save against Patrick, holding the Bobcats’ one-goal lead.
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Quinnipiac moves to 2-0 in MAAC play, tied with Manhattan (4-3, 2-0) for first in the early stages of conference play. Marist drops to 1-1, but with six games still to play there is lots of room to make a charge.
Marist for a mid-week matchup with the University of Delaware. The Blue Hens took down Marist in the 2023 national tournament, and with 13 of those Red Foxes still on the roster, Marist will be looking for revenge.
Delaware has received national poll votes, and currently sits at 3-3 on the year with an 0-1 CAA record after losing 19-18 in overtime to Towson.
Opening faceoff in Delaware is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Wednesday, March 19.
Edited by Marley Pope
Graphic by Quinn DiFiore; Photo from Kira Crutcher
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