HAMDEN, Conn. – Quinnipiac men’s soccer senior captain Durval Pereira (Cheshire, Conn.) produced a goal and an assist, leading the Bobcats to their first Northeast Conference victory of the season, and third-straight overall, with a 2-1 win over Bryant on Friday afternoon. Quinnipiac improves its overall record to 3-3 on the season and 1-0 in NEC action, while Bryant falls to 1-5-1 overall on the year and opens NEC play with a 0-1 record.

Quinnipiac received both of its goals within three minutes of each other, as Pereira gave the Bobcats the 1-0 lead in the 37^th minute of play. On the goal, the senior captain received a pass inside the goalkeeper’s box from freshman Machel Baker (Spanish Town, Jamaica) and hit a crafty shot with the outside of his right foot, bending the ball into the upper left-hand portion of the net. Baker earned his first assist of the season on the score, while Pereira netted his second goal of the season.

Pereira factored in Quinnipiac’s second goal just under three minutes later, providing a long pass to junior William Daniels (Clackamas, Ore.), who patiently waited for the ball to bounce before blasting a shot from the top of the goalkeeper’s box into the upper right-hand corner of the net. Pereira picked up his second assist, while Daniels earned his first goal of the season.

Bryant scored its only goal of the contest in the 43^rd minute of play, as Anthony Zarella netted his first goal of the season off an assist from Eddie Curry.

The two teams played a scoreless second half, as the Bobcats’ defensive unit played a strong 45 minutes of play, holding Bryant to only four shots in the half.

Quinnipiac controlled the tempo for most of the game, allowing only 10 shots during the entire game. Quinnipiac took 22 shots overall and held a 5 to 4 advantage in corner kicks.

Freshman goalkeeper Borja Angoitia (Bilbao, Spain) made two saves in net for the Bobcats to improve his record to 3-2, while his counterpart George Spanos turned away three shots for Bryant.

Quinnipiac returns to action on Sunday, Oct. 2 when it travels to face non-conference opponent NJIT at 2 p.m.

Contact: Ross Bennett; rsbennett@quinnipiac.edu