NEWTON, Mass. – The Lasell College Lasers women's soccer team topped the Roger Williams University Hawks 2-1 in a nailbiter at Lasell's Taylor Field on Monday.
 
Lasell, led by senior Carly Zdanek (Newton, N.J.) got off to a blazing hot start in the first half, and while they didn't score, the Lasers recorded eight shots. Zdanek totaled seven shots, and it seemed like every one was on target, as five of them were on goal.
 
Roger Williams opened the scoring, with an incredible shot from junior Morgan Snow (Rowley, Mass.). From just outside the box, she hooked a shot up and over goalie Angela Sanzari (North Haven, Conn.) before it dropped into the bottom left corner of the net.
 
It didn't take long for the Lasers to answer, as less than 10 minutes later, senior Erika Badger (Scituate, Mass.) put a penalty kick just over Hawks' goalie Brooke Hathaway's outstretched arms and into the top right corner of the net. This was Badger's seventh goal of the season, which is second on the team.
 
Less than two minutes later, junior Caitlin Rotonnelli (Meredith, N.H.) centered a pass for junior Melissa Vasquez (Pawtucket, R.I.) who put a header over a diving Hathaway for the game-winner.
 
The Lasers totaled 14 shots while only allowing six. The win brings the Lasers to 9-4 overall, while the Hawks fall to 6-9.
 
"We almost had the better of a really good team and program that goes to the NCAA tournament on a regular basis," said Head Coach Tim Moody. "The pitch wasn't in great shape and there wasn't too much grass to play on but we coped with it very well.
 
"It was a shame the way we conceded the equalizer as well as how they got the winner. If we had got a second, we feel it would have been enough to win the game and it would have killed the game off.
 
"You need to stop teams and giving them a reason to stop playing and nothing to play for, but we let them back in and they grew with confidence and made a game of it.
 
"It is important for us that we challenge ourselves against quality programs that are used to winning big games as that is how we see ourselves. We want to play well and ultimately win the big games.
 
"You want to be challenged, come off the pitch at the end of the game knowing you gave it your all and you had to play well to win, nothing else matters, it is about being the best you can be, for yourself but more importantly your team."

The Lasers return to the pitch on Wednesday in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) matchup, when they travel to Norwich University to take on the Cadets at 6:00 p.m. Roger Williams will also be in action on Wednesday when it matches up with Curry College.
 
- Release courtesy of the Lasell College Sports Information Department