Women’s Soccer notches third straight shutout

Box Score BRISTOL, R.I. - The Roger Williams University Women's Soccer team logged its third straight 1-0 victory, this time earning the win over Bridgewater State University Wednesday evening.

The game started off with both teams vying for control of the ball in the offensive half. Roger Williams had the first shot of the game off of a foul in the third minute. Jessica Valenti (North Reading, Mass.) served up a shot off of a free kick but her attempt drifted off to the left.

Bridgewater State's rebuttal came in the eight minute by Marissa Yowell (Ashland, Mass.), but her shot was saved Sydney Martin (Scarborough, Maine). In the 20th minute, Raleigh LeMire-Barnes (Los Angeles, Calif.) drove the ball up the right side of the field for a scoring attempt. She fired a far shot from the right side, but was denied by Bear keeper Lauren DeSousa (Taunton, Mass.).

Roger Williams continued to stay aggressive on the offensive end, finally coming through in the 37^th minute. Valenti took a long shot from the right side that made its way through multiple players and into the left corner, giving Roger Williams a 1-0 lead.

The second half was a struggle with neither team able to gain an advantage. Yowell attempted to put Bridgewater State on the board in the 73 minute with a hard shot to the right, but it was once again saved by Martin. Drew Guay (Fall River, Mass.) attempted to capitalize on a corner kick in the 80th minute, yet sailed it over the net. That would be the final strong attempt by the Bear, with the Hawks holding on for the win.

Martin made five saves for RWU in the win, while DeSousa finished with four stops in the loss.

"We are perfecting the winning of a game one nil," sadi Head Coach Tim Moody. "I think my team have taken it to hart that you only need to score one goal to win a game and defense win championships. We have dominated the game for long periods, scored another team orientated goal which we fully deserved. We are trying different things during practice, in games just to find the best blend of attacking and defending. But also it is important not lose our soccer philosophy and how we have built this program up over the last 5 years."

"BSU is a good team with qualities to challenge and beat teams. That is why they are top of the MASCAC but we have that desire to grind out results if we need to. We are learning to concentrate for 90 minutes to prevent any dangerous situations occurring. They pushed the last 10 minutes of the game but we held fast and stayed focus. Scoring the goal in the 1^st half always helps, we never stopped going forward, or stop searching for that 2^nd goal, or sit back at all to defend that lead, we attack with all 11 players. We asked a lot of questions during the game and we got a lot of good answers. It was a good game for us and will benefit us in the remaining matches on the schedule this season."

"Jenna Hart deserved a lot of praise tonight, she worked tirelessly the entire game and was responsible for a lot of good things we did on both sides of the ball tonight. It is effort like that which gives the team encouragement and a leader to follow. In every game we have played this fall, someone has stepped up to the challenge to be that person who is willing to leave it all on the pitch. That is why we have such great team chemistry, we share the responsibilities, the accountability, the glory, no one player is more important than another and a new hero can help us win games every night! The small things add up to big things, it is all about the details, from set pieces and plays during a game, to bringing out cones to practice, or collecting equipment for away games!"

"Soccer is a team sport, more than some others and it takes performances from the majority of the team to get results on a continued basis. If one player is playing below par, we have another player picking them up and giving them encouragement. We have a squad of 26 players and every one of them have helped us win tonight. We have 2 injured players but they still were here cheering the team forward, watching the game and involved in their individual development."

"We want every one healthy at the end of the season for the playoffs. We hold our destiny in our own hands or in this case at our feet. It is all about the journey and not just the destination. Just like it is not just about results but about the process! What are we taking away from practice and games? How will this help us be a better soccer player, but perhaps more importantly a human being?"

Roger Williams heads to Salve Regina at 12pm this Saturday, while Bridgewater will next host Salem State.

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Players Mentioned

#17 Jenna Hart: MF; 5' 7"; Junior

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

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

Players Mentioned

#17 Jenna Hart
: 5' 7"; Junior
: MF

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

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

Players Mentioned

#17 Jenna Hart

#1 Sydney Martin

#8 Jessica Valenti

Players Mentioned

#17 Jenna Hart

#1 Sydney Martin

#8 Jessica Valenti