BRIDGEWATER, Mass. – The visiting Roger Williams University women's soccer team earned a 1-0 victory over Bridgewater State University in a non-conference matchup on Wednesday night at Swenson Field.
 
The Hawks improve to 4-7 on the season with their second straight win over a Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) team. The host Bears fall to 5-3-1 as their four-game winning streak was snapped.
 
Freshman midfielder Sarina Olson (Bristol, R.I.) potted the only goal of the game early in the second half to lift the Hawks to the win. Olson scored off the rebound off a Maddie Neri (Upton, Mass.) shot just 1:27 into the final stanza.
 
Freshman netminder Morgan McCutcheon (Danbury, Conn.) made six saves to record her first collegiate win between the pipes for the Hawks. Classmate Morgan Strassburg (Longmeadow, Mass.) played the final 13:23 of the first half and turned aside a pair of shots.
 
Roger Williams held a slight 15-14 shot advantage, while corner kick attempts were even at three apiece.
 
Junior goalkeeper Kellie Souza (Wilmington, Mass.) made five saves in the setback for Bridgewater State. BSU junior forward Emma Sanders (Seekonk, Mass.) led all player with five shots including three on frame.
 
"The game plan didn't change despite the delayed kickoff by 24 hours," said Head Coach Tim Moody. "However, we flipped the starting lineup to show our opponent a different look than the day before. We were able to get on the front foot and like the previous 12 minutes the day before, we looked to create and score goals.
 
"We were strong in the tackle and showed we were up for the game. We moved the ball well and looked like we wanted to gain the advantage early on, which was a good sign. All the hard work leading up to the game from Friday, Saturday and Monday could be seen in our approach, which was to get in behind their backline and cause problems.
 
"I think we played well with both groups of players in the first half and despite making eleven changes our preparation made it possible to play at a high level without losing any momentum or becoming disjointed in our play. Both groups of players had worked together in practice and you could see the positive relationships they are building together.
 
"The goal we scored was a direct and fair reflection on what we have been encouraging our players to try at practice and it was great to see it happen. We almost got in again moments later with a very similar movement but didn't get the final shot on target we needed.
 
"We battled throughout the second half and although we couldn't find the next goal to see the game out comfortably, we were able to defend and keep a clean sheet, so that was good to see as well. The rotation worked well today and we were able to give experience to those that hadn't played much this fall. A few players are coming back from setbacks through injuries, and a few are still looking to get up to speed of the college game.
 
"It was a very rewarding night and we are happy to have got the game in before we take on Endicott this weekend!"

Both teams are back in action on Saturday. The Bears host Worcester State University in a key Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) matchup at noon, while the Hawks travel to Endicott College for a four o'clock Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) affair.