JERSEY CITY, NJ– Following a weeklong break, the Saint Peter's women's soccer team kicks off October with a two-match slate, first hosting Iona on Wednesday before traveling to Quinnipiac on Saturday. The Peacocks face the Gaels at Jaroschak Field at 4 p.m. and then meet the Bobcats at Quinnipiac Soccer & Lacrosse Stadium at noon.
The Peacocks battled Rider to a scoreless draw in their last outing. Rider controlled the first half with a 10-4 shot edge, but
Bergljot Kristinsdottir kept Saint Peter's level with six saves. The Peacocks responded after the break, outshooting the Broncs 8-5, though Rider finished with a narrow 15-12 advantage overall. Kristinsdottir finished with seven saves on the night and was named MAAC Defensive Player of the Week and Rookie of the Week for her efforts.
Saint Peter's closed September with a 1-2-1 record, scoring eight goals and conceding nine–an improvement from the past two Septembers, when they went 1-4. Four Peacocks found the back of the net, led by
Julia Pinho Magno with three goals. Pinho Magno is seventh in the MAAC in both shots (25, 2.78 per game) and goals (5, 0.556 per game), while Kristinsdottir sits fifth in goals-against average (1.40), saves (45, .763), and saves per game (4.50), and is tied for second in shutouts (3).
ABOUT THE GAELS
Iona (2-8-2, 0-4-1) finished September 1-5-1, looking to snap a four-match skid. The Gaels' lone win came against non-conference opponent Delaware State on September 10th (3-1). They have scored seven goals across seven matches while conceding 17. Sophomore Dolene Smith leads with two goals and two assists, while Gaels goalkeepers hold a collective 2.50 goals-against average, 41 saves, and a .577 save percentage.
Iona is led by seventh-year head coach Todd Plourde.
ABOUT THE BOBCATS
Quinnipiac (3-3-3, 3-0-2) closed out September with a 3-1-2 record, its lone loss coming from a non-conference matchup against LIU on September 1st (2-0). The Bobcats have outscored their opponents 12-8, paced by freshman forward Morgan Cupo, who has four goals and two assists–all in September. Cupo ranks second in the conference in shots (24, 4.00 per game) and ninth in points (7). Quinnipiac goalkeepers combined for a 1.67 goals against average with a 0.674 save percentage.
The head coach of the Bobcats in his 26th season is Dave Clarke.
ALL TIME RECORDS
Saint Peter's is 5-20-2 against Iona, including 3-8-1 at home. The Peacocks have won the last two of three matchups (0-1, 3-2, 2-1).
Joana Dias scored twice in the win in 2023, while
Gianna Grassifulli netted a goal in each of the Peacocks' victories.
Against Quinnipiac, the Peacocks are 1-10, with their lone win coming in 2018 under then-head coach Melissa Sherwood—a hard-fought 1-0 victory.
AROUND THE MAAC
Canisius (4-4, 4-0) leads the conference, riding a four-match win streak. Quinnipiac sits in second after a 2-1 win over Merrimack (3-6-2, 2-3), which fell to sixth. Marist (4-5-2, 3-0-2) is in third, also on a three-match win streak, followed by Fairfield (8-1-1, 3-0-1) in fourth. Manhattan (3-6-2, 2-2) has climbed into the top five with back-to-back wins. Saint Peter's (4-3-3, 1-2-2) stands seventh after its draw with Rider (2-5-3, 0-3-1).
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