BRISTOL, R.I. – The Roger Williams University Women's Soccer team rolled to a 3-0 win over Gordon College in the team's homecoming game Saturday afternoon.

The Hawks have been rolling as of late. The win improved the Hawks to 6-1-0 in their last seven games including five straight victories.

The Hawks honored their graduating seniors before the game. Defender Taryn Roussel (Ivoryton, Conn.), midfielder Alexa Maher (Hopewell, N.J.), midfielder Noelle Marston (Kingston, Mass.), forward Laurin Pendleton (Southwick, Mass.), forward Katie Fusaro (Hopkinton, Mass.), defender Kristen Metcalf (Londonderry, N.H.), midfielder Devon Leighton (Scarborough, Maine), and defender Michelle Meagher (Sudbury, Mass.) were all honored in front of their parents, fellow teammates, and a hometown Roger Williams crowd.

The Hawks were strong on the ball throughout the game, and it didn't take long for them to capitalize on the momentum of their honored seniors. With two quick strikes, the Hawks were quickly rolling with an early 2-0 lead.

At the 9:17 mark, Leighton took a pass from Maddy Howard (Medfield, Mass.) at the top of Gordon's box, and took a shot that went right over the outstretched hand of Gordon goaltender Kari Christensen (Standish, Maine) and into the back of the net to put the Hawks up by one. Leighton's goal was her second of the season.

Two minutes later, the Hawks went up by two when Fusaro took a Pendleton pass and moved in past the Gordon defense from the right side, and shot it to the far left post and in the net. Fusaro's goal was her sixth of the season, leading all Hawks on the team in that category.

Their strong play continued in the second half. Gordon's defense scrambled to keep up with RWU's slick passing and nifty footwork. The Hawks consistently put pressure on Gordon goalie Christensen, who put up a strong overall effort in the game.

The Hawks scored their third goal of the contest at the 68:37 mark in the 2nd half. Pendleton took a nice pass from Fusaro at the top of the box, and shot it in the far left corner for her second goal of the season. With the three points in the game for Pendleton, she moves solely into second place all-time in school history in goals scored (49) and third place in points (114).

Stephanie Jaques (Burlington, Vt.) and Kelsey McGee (Kings Park, N.Y.) combined for the shutout, with Jaques making all three saves in the game for RWU. Christensen stopped six shots in the contest for Gordon.

“The seniors were always going to make this day very special,” said Head Coach Tim Moody. “Scoring two goals in the first 15 minutes settled everybody down and we were able to get to our passing game. It was our best start this season. We got in great positions early and finished with two great strikes and nearly exploded for goals. Devon [Leighton] opened the scoring with a lovely strike from the top of the penalty box, or as my team tells me, the 18-yard box. The ball just flew into the back of the net before the keeper could move. Katie [Fusaro] is always around the goal and finished well, calmly slotting the ball in the far corner past the advancing keeper for the second.

“These two goals coming so quickly together made the rest of the game relatively easy for us. We grew in confidence and you could see that with our play. The second goal involved a lot one and two-touch passing, as well as combination play that we have been working  on recently. Laurin [Pendleton] made the last pass to set Katie free and she did the rest.

“In the second half of the match we kept playing the right way and how we want to move forward with the team. We continued to press and play the same way, even with a few changes in the lineup. This time it was Katie who fed Laurin for her goal.

“The seniors got the goals we needed and followed the script had we written one for this occasion. It was also nice to get everyone into the game today and recognize the seniors for all their efforts over the last four years bringing them off the field one by one. The underclassmen did a great job with the pictures, decoration of the field and gifts. It is a day to remember.”

Roger Williams (10-6-1, 8-1-0 CCC) will close out the regular season with a 4:00 p.m. match on Monday, October 24th against Johnson and Wales. Gordon (9-7-0, 5-4-0) plays its final game of the season against Suffolk on Tuesday, October 25th. Kickoff is at 3 pm.