Women’s Soccer kicks off 2015 with a win

Box Score NEWTON, Mass. – The Roger Williams University Women's Soccer team opened up its 2015 campaign with a 3-1 victory over Lasell College.

With the loss, the Lasers drop to 1-0, as the Hawks open their season at 1-0.

The Lasers applied early pressure on the visitors, but were soon denied by the Hawks' relentless defense. 12:52 into the contest, junior midfielder Jenna Hart (Cheshire, Conn.) broke free from the hosts, and carried the ball up the right flank. Hart then framed the net on a textbook cross, as senior Haley Carignan (Scarborough, Maine) finished with a goal in the right side of the net for the game's opening point. Roger Williams struck again in a repetitive fashion with 15 minutes left on the clock, as Hart capitalized on a cross from senior forward Mariah Kaiser (Portsmouth, R.I.).

Down 2-0, the Lasers began to apply high pressure on the Hawks. After a corner attempt by the visitors, freshman defender Kaleigh Heffernan (Simsbury, Conn.) took the ball up the middle, and fired a shot just above the crossbar. Refusing to give up, junior Megan Cullen (Amesbury, Mass.) slid the ball into the net with just 10 seconds left in the half, getting the Lasers on the board before the buzzer.

Possession was split in the opening minutes of the second half, before senior Jessica Valenti (North Reading, Mass.) fired a ball in the upper ninety of Lasell's netting. RWU continued to show composure and maintained possession throughout the second half, ending with the 3-1 victory.

Freshman keeper Sarah LaClair (Belchertown, Mass.) suffered the loss (0-1), saving three of six shots on net. In the visitors net, sophomore Sydney Martin (1-0) (Scarborough, Maine) pulled away with the victory with one save in the game.

"It was important to start the season with a win and score goals," said Head Coach Tim Moody. "Lasell are a very good team and will most likely win their conference. They are dangerous on the attack and scored a good goal. We played well our first time out on the pitch. We created plenty of goal scoring opportunities and scored 3 quality goals. It was good to see 3 different players score. Perhaps we could have scored one or two more. We showed we can play and are putting into practice what we have been working on at preseason. Our passing and movement was excellent at times. We were all very happy with the result today."

"We have youth and experience on the team and this test has made us better. It was good to give a few freshmen the chance to step on the field and get to experience college competition for the first time. The attitude of the entire squad today was very positive and we gained a lot of valuable lessons today on the road on a grass pitch. We showed we have the desire to play and compete again this season. We have big goals this fall and we have started well. I am excited to see what we can achieve this fall."

"Now our focus is on the next game on Friday against Springfield College!"

Both teams resume non-conference play on Friday, September 4. The Lasers welcome Brandeis University for a local contest at 4:00 p.m., while the Hawks travel to Springfield College for a 7:00 p.m. kick off.

- Release courtesy of the Lasell College Sports Information Department

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Players Mentioned

#6 Haley Carignan: F; 5' 3"; Senior

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

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

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

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

Players Mentioned

#6 Haley Carignan
: 5' 3"; Senior
: F

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

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

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

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