BRISTOL, R.I. – For the sixteenth consecutive season, the sixth-seeded Roger Williams University Women's Soccer team earned a berth into the Commonwealth Coast Conference Tournament as they seek their eighth CCC crown in program history. In the quarterfinal round, the Hawks get a date with the third-seeded Golden Bears of Western New England University on Saturday afternoon.
 
"We have had a lot of success in the past and won championships," said Head Coach Tim Moody. "We have the same goals and aspirations as those championship-winning teams, and we have the same amount of talent and quality as those teams. So, we are going to find out if we have that same desire to do what is necessary to get over the finish line and add to our past achievements. For us, getting to postseason is viewed as a given, and winning postseason games is a must. During the last ten years, the conference has improved with the quality or players and coaches, so this would be a huge if we get back to our championship-winning ways and we believe it is very doable."
 
RWU finished the regular season with a 12-7-0 record but a late-season slide, largely against CCC competition, dropped them to 5-4-0 in conference as they have dropped three of their last four contests entering postseason play. On the other side, WNE stands at 11-6-0, 7-2-0 against CCC competition, and has won five of their last six games.
 
"We have played really well against some good teams and just have not finished teams off as often as we would have liked when we were ahead and dominating the game," Moody said about his team's recent play. "We play a style that is exciting and enjoyable on the eye, but we need to be more productive, effective, and efficient in the final third. Sometimes we need to put results first, rather than just looking good or exciting. When we do find the right balance, however, anything is possible."
 
"We are in it to win it," Moody added. "We are going to WNE playing to win and move onto the semifinals. We can control a lot of things that can make that happen. Knockout games are the best games. These games are the most exciting because everything is on the line and they are truly all or nothing. We have been sharpening our skills for this exact moment all season and have been talking about this opportunity for some time. We will be ready on Saturday to give it 100%."
 
For The Hawks
For much of the season, Roger Williams looked like the class of the CCC and despite hitting a few speed bumps lately, they still may be when they are playing to their potential. The Hawks are a solid defensive squad, ranking sixth in the conference with a 1.31 goals-against average but their strength is their ability to score the ball as they are second in the CCC with a 2.79 goals per game average that is just 0.01 points behind conference-leading Gordon College.
 
"Without a shadow of a doubt, we are a talented team that can explode at any time and totally tear teams apart by putting them under immense pressure," Moody said. "We are just lacking a little bit of experience and that killer instinct. You need all eleven players working as one unit, to play in unison with and without the ball, and that is a challenge for all teams, but we feel that we are not far away from that. We are still a team to be feared because we have so much fire power, and it comes from different areas and from different players."
 
The thing that makes RWU so difficult offensively is the fact that anyone can score from anywhere at any time. They feature the Co-CCC Offensive Player of the Year in junior Bianca Robbins, (Johnston, R.I.) who is the only player in the CCC to record double-digit goals this season with 15 to go with a trio of helpers. However, she is one of six players who have scored three or more goals for the team this fall. All-CCC Second Team forward Leah Yucius (Duxbury, Mass.) lines up alongside Robbins to form maybe the best forward pairing in the conference, as she is tied for second in the CCC with nine goals to go with three assists giving her the fourth-most points in the conference with 21.
 
On the wing is the freshman phenom and All-CCC First Teamer Rachel Oster (Scituate, R.I.) who is tied atop the conference leaderboard with eight assists, tied for tenth with five goals, and tied for fifth in points with 18. Kelly Yadoff (Wycoff, N.J.) is another key piece as she has accumulated two goals and four assists as an offensive-minded midfielder.
 
The top two options in reserve for RWU are Ariana Montero (Milford, Conn.) who has five goals this season and Raffaella Brunetti (North Providence, R.I.) who is a great facilitator, ranking tied for fourth in the CCC with five helpers. Other key reserves on offense are Tayla Salome (Lincoln, R.I.) who has scored four goals and Sabrina Sherman (Brentwood, N.H.) who has three.
 
"We have scored over 50 goals so far this year, which is a great achievement," Moody said. "But what is scary is that we could have easily scored close to 100 or more with all the quality chances we have created, so we are a team to be taken seriously."
 
Senior captains Sammy Jost (Ringwood, N.J.) and Sarina Olson (Bristol, R.I.) are key pieces in the midfield for the Hawks. Jost patrols the middle of the field and is as steady as they come as a passer, defender, and leader for this RWU squad while Olson is a versatile and dynamic midfielder. Olson is a strong all-around player on the Hawks, and it is not uncommon to see her all up-and-down the right sideline for the team and she is tied for third on the team with four assists while also proving exceptional speed and defense for RWU.
 
On the back line, Roger Williams will likely deploy the solid trio of Jen Donohue (Halifax, Mass.), Mollie Feldman (Highland Falls, N.Y.), and Grace Kelly (Milford, N.H.). Donohue and Feldman will defend on the outside, but Kelly is the key piece here as a solid defender with a very strong leg, and it is not uncommon to see her take many long free kicks for the Hawks. The group has helped limit opponents to just 13.6 shots per game and 6.21 shots on goal per contest and as a result, opponents shoot just .097 against them.
 
When shots do get through to the defense, RWU has received some good work in goal. They will likely start Morgan McCutcheon (Danbury, Conn.) who is third in the conference in wins this season with ten while posting three shutouts. She also ranks tied for fifth in the CCC in save percentage with a .795 mark, seventh in goals against average at 1.29, and seventh in saves with 66.
 
For The Golden Bears
Western New England is a balanced squad that is solid on both ends of the ball and play a strong, complimentary style of soccer. They rank just ahead of RWU in goals against average allowing 1.18, the fifth fewest in the conference while they also rank fifth offensively, scoring 2.18 goals per game.
 
"Facing WNE is a great test," Moody said. "However, the postseason is about pressure, which we will hopefully embrace and use it to our advantage."
 
Molly McLaughlin (Guilford, Conn.) tends the net for the Golden Bears as she has started in every game for the team this season. Her 11 wins are tied for the most in the CCC while she allows 1.22 goals per game, the sixth-fewest in the conference. She can get beat, however, as evidenced by her .756 save percentage, the second worst among qualifiers in the CCC, and her 62 saves that ranks eighth despite playing the second most minutes in goal this fall.
 
A lot of the defensive success for WNE stems from the play they have gotten from their unit of defensive backs. They often start a lineup with four defensive backs on the field in the quartet of Summer Hathaway (Colchester, Vt.), Abby Free (Cumberland, R.I.), Hannah Richard (Monson, Mass.), and Alison VanVolkenburg (Ledyard, Conn.), while Malina LaCapra (Watertown, Conn.) also rotates in as a reserve. This group is an absolute wall defensively allowing just 8.82 shots per game and 4.94 shots on goal per contest, the third fewest in the CCC.
 
In the midfield, WNE will typically deploy Kristen DeCost (Hudson, N.H.), Autumn Hathaway (Colchester, Vt.), and Danielle McCarthy (Old Lyme, Conn.) with Allyson Hill (Storrs, Conn.) playing a role off the bench. This is a great unit on both ends of the pitch contributing to the aforementioned low shots allowed total while also helping score. McCarthy is fourth on the team with four goals while Hathaway is the second-best facilitator on the roster dishing out a trio of assists to go with three goals of her own. Hill also adds scoring punch off the bench as she has netted three goals on the year.
 
A vast majority of the scoring for the Golden Bears comes from their forwards led by Co-CCC Offensive Player of the Year Allison Bruehwiler (Old Saybrook, Conn.) who does it all for WNE, leading the team in goals, assists, and points. Her eights helpers are tied for the most in the CCC while her seven scores are tied for fourth giving her 22 total points, the fourth most in the conference. She gets help from Samantha Vitka (Stratford, Conn.) and Isabella Montalvo (Rocky Hill, Conn.) who are tied for second on the team and seventh in the conference with six goals apiece. They will also deploy Lindsay Reidy (Chicopee, Mass.) and Kyleigh Wheaton (Dartmouth, Mass.) off the bench with Reidy netting three goals this fall and Wheaton pitching in a pair.
 
Previous Meetings
Since 2010, RWU versus WNE has been a good matchup in women's soccer though the Hawks hold the edge with eight wins against two losses and a trio of ties. This is the third time in the last four seasons that the Golden Bears and the Hawks have encountered each other in the CCC Tournament. Roger Williams won, 1-0, in 2017 before the Western New England claimed a victory in PKs in 2018.
 
In their matchup earlier this fall, the Golden Bears erased an early deficit to claim a 3-1 victory at Bayside Field as Danielle McCarthy netted a pair of goals. In that contest, WNE dominated possession of the ball and outshot RWU, 29-5 and 14-5 in shots on goal. However, the Hawks were without Oster for much of that contest and they will look to flip the script this time around.
 
How To Follow Along
The matchup is set for 1:00 PM Saturday afternoon at Suprenant Field on the campus of Western New England University.
 
If you cannot make it in person, you can follow along online.
 
VIDEO: https://boxcast.tv/view/womens-soccer-vs-roger-williams-university-ccc-quarterfinals-188592
 
LIVE STATS:  https://wnegoldenbears.com/sports/wsoc/2021-22/boxscores/20211030_j41a.xml