Women's Soccer 9/26/2015 5:26:00 PM

Women’s Soccer battles Endicott to 2OT tie

Box Score BRISTOL, R.I. - The Roger Williams University Women's Soccer team continued its unbeaten streak Saturday afternoon, moving to 6-0-3 with a 1-1 double overtime tie against Endicott College in Commonwealth Coast Conference play.

The game was a battle of possession among the midfielders and defenders for the first 15 minutes of the game. Offensive opportunities were few and far between. Roger Williams had the only shots of the game over the stretch; a header by Mariah Kaiser (Portsmouth, R.I.) and a 20 yarder by Jessica Valenti (North Reading, Mass.).

Roger Williams began to hold possession more often after the 20th minute, managing to get three corner kicks in a four-minute span. However, the Hawks still were unable to tally a score.

Endicott got its first shots of the game in the 35th minute and nearly capitalized on the chance. Paige Marinelli (Burlington, Conn.) chased down the ball to the end line and sent a cross back to Rachel Hanna, who kicked it just wide left of the goal.

In the 40th minute, the Gulls came through with the first goal of the game. Nicole Taylor (North Easton, Mass.) took the ball down the right side and sent a chip pass to Hanna, who was able to chip a shot of her own just over the keeper's head and into the left corner for a 1-0 Endicott lead going into halftime.

Endicott's lead lasted until the 54th minute, when the Hawks managed to net the equalizer. A Gull foul led to a free kick for Kristen Casey (East Longmeadow, Mass.), who found Samantha Woznicki (Bristol, Conn.) on the backside of the net for her first goal of the season.

RWU nearly took the lead in the 60th minute, with Valenti sending a cross into the box to a streaking Kaiser. Kaiser appeared to have scored the go-ahead score for the Hawks, but was just called offside on a close play at the net.

Kaiser was later denied another opportunity in the 83rd minute. She beat out two Gull defenders to the ball and put a contested shot on net with a Gull defender on her. Yet Endicott keeper Caroline Armbruster (Stowe, Vt.) used a jumping punch save to hold the Hawks off.

Endicott almost put the game away early in the first overtime period. Marinelli served up a corner kick to Sharlotte Pernice (West Springfield, Mass.) on the left side of the net. Pernice got a foot on the ball, but bounced her shot off of the left post.

In the second overtime period, the Hawks kept the pressure on the Gulls but was unable to get the game winner. Valenti came the closest with just under three minutes remaining. She launched a hard shot from the left side of the box. Armbuster made a jumping save, catching with her fingertips to help end the game in a tie.

Armbuster tallied nine saves for Endicott in the game, while Hawk keeper Sydney Martin (Scarborough, Maine) made five saves.

"The sign of a good team is even when your not at your best, you find a way to still get a result," said Head Coach Tim Moody. "Today that result was a score draw. We have scored in every game we have played this season. We fought back from a goal down like we did against MIT last week. We have goals in us and that means we are never out of a game. We didn't play our best today but we still were able to control the game and dictate the play. We did enough to create and score goals to win the game but it wasn't to be. We never give in or give up on a game and play as long as is needed. Our conditioning we do all year long allows us to compete against everyone, play back to back games, it doesn't phase us. However it would be nice to have won the game in 90 minutes, to have scored a few more goals. It is going to happen, we will get 5 or 6!"

"Endicott have been the power house in our conference our the last decade or so and playing them is always a challenge as well as a battle. It is always a close match and usually not much between us in terms of goals. It is never a blow out. Over the last 5 seasons we have been on the right side of the result and this has been the reason we have been champions of the CCC. If we can compete with Endicott then we should have a successful season. Either they win the CCC or we do! Hopefully we win it again this fall and repeat as Champions like we have in the past."

"Defensively we were very good again. If we are not clicking going forward at least we can rely on our defensive qualities. We defend from the front as a team and don't just leave it up to our back line or goalkeeper. Sydney does a great job talking to her teammates and our 2 center backs Kristen and Kristen are the best in their positions in the conference. They give our team a strong foundation and an opportunity to win games. You always know what you are going to get from them defending the goal and the ball."

"We believe that the way we play will help us win more games as the season continues and that our philosophy is the right one to compete with the best teams in the country. We would like to think we are one of those programs. Our history over the last 5 years backs that up. You are only as good as your last game and we believe that will get us across the finish line. At the end of the season we expect to peak and at that point show our qualities, what we are all about to everyone in our conference, in New England and across the country."

Roger Williams heads to Framingham State on Wednesday, while Endicott hosts UMass-Boston on Thursday.

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