BRISTOL, R.I. – The Roger Williams University Women's Soccer team could not open up its season on a winning note as Wheaton College (Mass.) edged the Hawks with a 1-0 victory Friday afternoon.

 

The Lyons put the offensive pressure on the Hawks early in the game, putting 12 shots on the RWU defense in the first half. Wheaton's sophomore forward Melida Alvarez (Saugus, Mass.) was the primary offensive threat, steadily finding a way to put up a shot against the Hawk defense. RWU's Jen Garside (Londonderry, N.H.) remained busy in net, as the junior keeper made seven saves in the half, including a stop from four yards away that would have easily found the back of the net.

 

Despite Wheaton's advantage in possession time and consistent offensive attack, the Hawks managed to hold the Lyons scoreless over the first period. RWU sophomore defender Taryn Mancarella (Rochester, N.Y.) made a series of timely interceptions on passes to curb the Lyon attack.

 

The second half saw the Hawks begin to find their rhythm offensively, as they were able to run their offensive sets with much more consistency than the previous period. Freshman forward Laurin Pendleton (Southwick, Mass.) was the catalyst for the Hawks, taking two of her four shots in the half, one of which was a hard long drive from outside the box right at Lyon freshman keeper Lindsay Leddy (Warwick, R.I.).

 

The turning point in the game came in the 54^th minute when junior midfielder Rosie Levy (Torrance, Calif.) dropped a pass between two Hawk defenders to Alvarez. The ball hung in the air just long enough to draw Garside out, giving Alvarez the opportunity to chip in a goal just over Garside's reach. From that point on, the Lyons controlled their possessions to nurse the lead and escaped with the victory.

 

Leddy earned her first win of the year for Wheaton, while Alvarez's game-winner marks the first goal of Wheaton's 2008 season.

 

Garside, despite taking the loss, made eight saves on the day and managed to hold a Wheaton offense that was ranked third in the nation in scoring offense during the 2007 season to one goal.

Roger Williams (0-1) will host UMass-Dartmouth next Thursday at 4:00 p.m., while Wheaton (1-0) will host St. Joseph's (Maine) Sunday at 1:00 p.m.