Women's Soccer 11/6/2013 8:37:00 PM

#22 Women’s Soccer stunned by Gordon in CCC Semis

Box Score BRISTOL, R.I. – The #22 Roger Williams University Women's Soccer team had its bid for a fourth straight Commonwealth Coast Conference Championship halted Wednesday evening by Gordon College. The Fighting Scots advances to the CCC title game via a 3-1 PK shootout win after a 2-2 tie in double overtime.

With the win, Gordon will travel to top-seeded Endicott College Saturday for a 1:00 p.m. showdown in the CCC Championship. Endicott defeated Wentworth Institute of Technology 1-0 in overtime earlier this evening.

The contest was marked with both teams contending for position for the ball throughout the first ten minutes of the game. The tide turned in the Hawks favor in the 12th minute, beginning with a stolen pass by Hannah Noel (Adams, Mass.).

Noel was able to send a pass up the middle to a streaking Mariah Kaiser (Portsmouth, R.I.). Kaiser had a Fighting Scot defender marking with her as she made her way up the right side, but she was still able to get a shot off past the defender and the goalie into the middle of the net for an early 1-0 Hawk lead.

After the goal, the Hawk offense began to put pressure on Gordon. The ball remained in Fighting Scot territory for a majority of the period.

However, the Fighting Scots nearly tied the game in the 23rd minute, when Lauren Hayes (Wantage, N.J.) fired a shot from just outside the top of the box. The ball was on point and looked to be the equalizer, but a jumping one-handed punch save by Stephanie Jaques (Burlington, Vt.) sent the ball over the back of net and kept Gordon off the scoreboard.

However, Gordon would not be denied. The turning point came in the closing minutes of the first half. The Hawks committed a foul about ten feet outside of the penalty area, setting up a Gordon free kick. With 3:44 to go, Kara Dry (Madison, Conn.) let loose a shot that hooked over the Hawk defense and bent into the upper right corner to tie the game at one going into the break.

Roger Williams wasted little time regaining the lead in the second half. Less than two minutes into the period. Less than two minutes into the period, Kristen Tetreault (Tolland, Conn.) sent a cross into the box to Kaiser, who buried her second goal of the game to put the Hawks back on top 2-1.

Taylor McSherry (Wolcott, Conn.) booted a long shot almost the left side half past midfield with the intention of catching the Hawk defense off-guard. Though the attempt sailed wide right, it came just close enough to put a scare in Roger Williams.

In the 80th minute, Gordon tied the match up for the second time, with Claire Brooks (Unionville, Conn.) knocking in a loose ball off of a corner kick by Dry to knot the match at two apiece.

The Gordon defense made one more crucial stop in the 81st minute, when Hannah Midwinter (Barkhamsted, Conn.) used her body to make a jumping defensive save on a shot by Haley Carignan (Scarborough, Maine) to help preserve the tie and send the game into overtime.

Five minutes into the overtime period, Katie Lydon (Riverside, R.I.) made a little move around the Gordon defense and fired a shot that was online for the net, yet Gordon keeper McKenzie Dion (North Grafton, Mass.) was able to make the save. Two minutes later, Jessica Valenti (North Reading, Mass.) put up a deep shot of her own by was too denied by Dion.

In the second overtime, the Hawks remained on the attack, putting up four shots in the opening three minutes of action. Lydon nearly ended the game in the 105th minute with a shot from the far left side in the box that just sailed wide. The Hawks had one last gasp in final minute, with Valenti putting up a shot dead on that was deflected off of Olivia Ballovera (Freeport, N.Y.). Her heads-up play kept the game tied at two, sending the game to penalty kick.

In the shootout, Kendra Woudenberg (Whitinsville, Mass.) stepped up first for Gordon, sending a shot to the right corner to put the Fighting Scots up 1-0. Noel followed for the Hawks, but bent her shot just outside of the right corner. Midwinter stepped up next and put her shot over the net for the Fighting Scots. Tory Benoit (Shrewsbury, Mass.) had her attempt for RWU saved on a diving stop to Dion's right, keeping the Gordon lead at 1-0.

Hayes came through next and put her shot just to the left of Jaques to put Gordon up 2-0. Kaiser stepped up for the Hawks and kept the team alive with a hard shot to the upper left side. Jaques followed with a crucial jumping stop for RWU on Dry's shot. Lydon followed for the Hawks, but had her shot by Dion saved on a dive to her right. McSherry served up the game-winning shot next and punched Gordon's ticket to the championship game.

Dion made ten saves in the game for the win, while Jaques made only one save in the contest, as the Hawks outshot Gordon 29-5 in the game.

Roger Williams (17-2-3) will await the decision of the selection committee and see if its body of work across the season will be enough to earn an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament beginning next weekend.

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Players Mentioned

#3 Tory Benoit: D; 5' 6"; Senior

#5 Haley Carignan: F; 5' 3"; Sophomore

#32 Stephanie Jaques: GK; 5' 8"; Senior

#7 Mariah Kaiser: F; 5' 7"; Sophomore

#6 Katie Lydon: MF; 5' 3"; Senior

#18 Hannah Noel: F; 5' 5"; Senior

#16 Kristen Tetreault: F; 5' 8"; Junior

#9 Jessica Valenti: MF; 5' 5"; Sophomore

Players Mentioned

#3 Tory Benoit
: 5' 6"; Senior
: D

#5 Haley Carignan
: 5' 3"; Sophomore
: F

#32 Stephanie Jaques
: 5' 8"; Senior
: GK

#7 Mariah Kaiser
: 5' 7"; Sophomore
: F

#6 Katie Lydon
: 5' 3"; Senior
: MF

#18 Hannah Noel
: 5' 5"; Senior
: F

#16 Kristen Tetreault
: 5' 8"; Junior
: F

#9 Jessica Valenti
: 5' 5"; Sophomore
: MF