Box Score
BRISTOL, R.I. – The Roger Williams University Women's Soccer team kicked off the 2012 campaign with a 1-1 tie against Wheaton College Friday afternoon in the season opener for both teams.
The game started with scrappy play by both teams early on. Ball control was tightly contest early on, with physical play on both sides.
The game saw no scoring on either side until the 34th minute, when Wheaton's Laila Razzaghi (Ringoes, N.J.) sent in a corner kick from the left side, finding the foot of Cat Amick (Vashon, Wash.) who scored the first goal of the season for the Lyons.
Wheaton held on to its 1-0 advantage going into the second half of play, but Roger Williams needed little time to put its stamp on the board. Less than three minutes into the period, Kristen Tetreault (Tolland, Conn.) took the ball down the right side and fired in a shot that hooked into the left corner, tying the game at one apiece.
The Hawks nearly took the lead in the 77th minute, with Mariah Kaiser booting a curving shot to the right, yet Taylor Wilson (Bellingham, Mass.) made a diving stop to keep RWU off the board. Neither team would muster another goal to send the game into extra periods.
In the first OT, both teams made plays on the ball, holding the offense at bay. Over the course of the frame, neither squad attempted a shot. The second OT period saw Wheat put three shots on net, but Hawk keeper Stephanie Jaques (Burlington, Vt.) turned away two of them while the third sailed wide.
Jaques ended with eight saves on the day, while her counterpart Wilson made four stops.
“It was an exciting day all round; it was hot and we had a great crowd as always,” said Head Coach Tim Moody. “Opening day brings that nervous energy and we used that to our advantage in our first match of the new campaign. Wheaton plays in the NCAA Tournament every year. It is always a good test to start out with a program that has that tradition. We have played in three of the last four NCAA Tournaments and are showing we have a tradition as well. We have a lot of new faces on this year's team. Some may say we are in a transitional or rebuilding year. We want to continue having success and compete for another conference title. I tell my players and recruits that if you are good enough, then you are old enough. I have no problem playing freshmen players if they possess the skills and qualities that can win games and who are effective in their position.
“Today we showed we can compete with any team in the region with freshmen players. We scored a very good goal. And perhaps could have won the game right at the end, had we been awarded a penalty kick for a pretty interesting challenge in the 18 yard box. We didn't get the call, so we had to battle it out for the remaining two overtimes.
“During the game, I felt we held our own, we caused them problems. We passed the ball better and had good movement. I still think we can get much better and as the young players gain experience we should progress throughout the season. We still need to find the system that will fit all the new players we have on the team.
“In the next few months we will see what kind of team we will be and where we want to go.”
Roger Williams (0-0-1) will travel to Brandeis next Wednesday, while Wheaton goes to Worcester State on Sunday.
