Women’s Soccer beats Gordon, nabs top seed for CCC Tourney

Box Score WENHAM, Mass. — The Roger Williams University Women's Soccer team handed Gordon a 2-0 loss in the regular season finale for both teams. The Hawks clinched the top seed in the Commonwealth Coast Conference, while Gordon settles for the No. 5 seed in the tournament that begins on Saturday morning.

The junior duo of Mariah Kaiser (Portsmouth, R.I.) and Jessica Valenti (No. Reading, Mass.) combined to score two goals for Roger Williams.

The early stages of the game was a battle for possession in the middle third of the field. Each team tried to make runs through the middle of the field, but each time the opposing defense rebuffed the opportunity.

Roger Williams' first real chance of the contest was a good one, as the Hawks' defense was able to switch fields by finding a wide open Haley Carignan (Scarborough, Maine). The junior ripped a shot at goal, but Gordon keeper McKenzie Dion (No. Grafton, Mass.) stonewalled the initial attempt. A scrum for the ball ensued, but leading scorer Kaiser was able to tip one off the inside of the goalpost and into goal for the score in the 18th minute.

The Hawks kept the pressure turned up high on the Gordon defense, but Dion made several fingertip saves to keep the Hawks lead to only one goal. Dion made three saves in the first half on four shots on goal by the Hawks. Gordon's Naomi Shearer (Hampden, Maine) almost brought home the equalizer just before the halftime horn on a header. Jamie Breton (Concord, N.H.) sent a perfect cross from the left side, where it met the forehead of Shearer for a strike toward the right corner. Shearer's attempt almost crossed the goal line, but Roger Williams' keeper Sydney Martin (Scarborough, Maine) came up with the save of the game.

The Gordon (12-6-0, 5-4-0 CCC) defense played more aggressively in the second half and turned errant Hawks' passes into opportunities the other way. Open looks were hard to come by for the Scots, as the speed of the Hawks' defense foiled several near breakaway for Gordon's strikers.

Roger Williams turned the tide for good in the 78th minute on a beautiful goal by Valenti. The Hawks turned a quick throw in into a chip down toward the 18-yard box where the pass met the feet of Carignan. The junior one-touched it back to the streaking Valenti who fired a shot from 25-yards out straight across her body from right to left. Dion made an outstanding diving attempt, but Valenti's shot had too much pace and found the twine in the upper left corner.

The Hawks (15-2-3, 7-0-2 CCC) outshot the Fighting Scots 13-4 on the afternoon, but Dion was able to make seven spectacular saves for the Scots. Martin pitched the shutout with two saves, including stopping the game-tying look late in the first. Roger Williams had five corners to four for Gordon.

The two teams await the rest of the results from today's CCC action before the tournament bracket is announced on Wednesday.

- Release courtesy of the Gordon College Sports Information Department

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Players Mentioned

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

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

#8 Jessica Valenti: MF; 5' 5"; Junior

#1 Sydney Martin: GK; 5' 7"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

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

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

#8 Jessica Valenti
: 5' 5"; Junior
: MF

#1 Sydney Martin
: 5' 7"; Freshman
: GK