Box Score BRISTOL, R.I. – The Roger Williams University Women's Soccer team won its 2017 Commonwealth Coast Conference opener with a 1-0 win over Gordon College.
 
Offensive chances for both teams were hard to come by in the early goings. Sinead Hanley (Quincy, Mass.) had a shot from the left side in the opening minutes of the game glance off the side of the left post. Then in the eighth minute, Asha Steele (Bedford, N.H.) had a clean look at a shot from the middle but put it right at Hawk keeper Natalie O'Donovan (Quincy, Mass.).
 
Gordon came close to scoring first in the 18^th minute when Lexi Potter (South Glens Falls, N.Y.) chipped a shot from 20 yards out with a Hawk defender on her. The shot had a chance to drop into the goal, but fortunately for RWU, the shot just sailed over the net.
 
Hanley and Kasey Provost (Peabody, Mass.) each gave it a go in the 26^th minute to put Roger Williams on the board. Both tries by the Hawks would be denied by Gordon's Kali Denty (Marshfield, Mass.). RWU had one more opportunity in the first half in the final minute. Chloe Gucciardi (Canton, Conn.)  fed a nice pass towards the sideline to Ericca Broderick (Great Barrington, Mass.) who in turn tried to cross a shot into the opposite corner. However her attempt would sail just wide of the net and keep the game scoreless entering halftime.
 
Roger Williams would put an end to the scoreless game shortly into the second half. Five minutes into the period, Broderick got in front of a pass between two Fighting Scot defenders just outside the box and got a one-on-one with the keeper. She was able to slip a shot to her right and log her second goal of the season and give RWU a 1-0 lead.
 
A couple of heads-up defensive plays in the 58^th minute helped RWU keep Gordon off the scoreboard. Ashton Barkey (Parker, Colo.) had the ball in the box with just the keeper in front of her. She tried to slip one past O'Donovan, but she made a great body save on the ball. Barkey then attempted another shot off the rebound with O'Donovan unable to get back to position. However, Samantha Woznicki (Bristol, Conn.) was in the perfect spot to deflect the shot away from the net.
 
Alli Santacroce (Newington, Conn.) had a crucial stop of her own in the 84^th minute. Barkey had the left side of the goal open off of a Gordon corner kick, but Santacroce was in the right place at the right time in front of the goal to kick the ball away.
 
The Hawks caught a break in the 87^th minute when O'Donovan overran a long pass that bounced over her head and towards the back right side of the box. Potter tracked down the ball but could not save it from going out of bounds before she could get to it.
 
O'Donovan had six saves for RWU in the shutout win, her first of the year. Denty stopped three shots in the hard-luck loss.
 
On Tuesday, Roger Williams takes on Wellesley at home while Gordon heads to Salem State.