BRISTOL, R.I. – At the conclusion of a successful regular season, the fourth-seeded Roger Williams University Field Hockey team prepares to open their postseason with a Commonwealth Coast Conference Quarterfinals matchup against the fifth-seed, Gordon College, on Tuesday evening at Bayside Field. The Hawks have now earned a postseason bid for the third consecutive season and seek a win and a trip to the semifinals for the second straight season.
 
"We are a young team that has faced adversity throughout the season," said Head Coach Kelly Blackhurst. "It has been inspiring to see these young women overcome and continue fighting and setting the standard for RWU Field Hockey."
 
Roger Williams finished the regular season right at .500, going 8-8. They started the season with their best four-game start in program history going 4-0 and despite encountering a few speedbumps since, they finished conference play 2-4 and tied for fourth with both Gordon and Salve Regina University. With a three-way tie and only two postseason spots available tiebreakers came into play and the Hawks earned the fourth seed by way of having the fewest goals allowed of the group. Gordon earned the fifth seed due to their season-ending victory over the Seahawks on Saturday. They also went 2-4 in CCC play but were just 2-11 overall due to a difficult out of conference schedule.
 
"We had a great season with some real highlights," Blackhurst said." In October, we battled Connecticut College, a NESCAC opponent, to a 3-1 victory. We faced one of the most lethal offenses in the country, MIT, and buried four goals against them."
 
"It is an amazing feeling making the postseason and hosting again," Blackhurst added. "This is our ninth season as a varsity sport at Roger Williams and our second time in program history hosting playoffs. We have put in a lot of work both on and off the field to earn this postseason berth. Now, it is up to us to execute, remain committed to the process, and understand that doing the little things right add up."
 
For The Hawks
Roger Williams has a young squad that has been effective on both ends of the field this season. Offensively they have risen to be among the best in the Commonwealth Coast Conference, netting a program-best 2.88 goals per game, the third most in the CCC. That mark is helped in large part by their ability to generate a lot of scoring chances as they rank second in the conference with 18.4 shots per game. On defense, they have also been solid as they are fourth in the CCC with a 2.25 goals-against average by limiting the opposition to just 11.5 shots per game.
 
"Most games, you may see seven first-years and sophomores on the field for us," Blackhurst stated. "Our players have been tasked with stepping into different positions, and it has been outstanding to see them undertake these assignments and flourish. It is critical we do the little things right and play as a team. Maintaining our composure defensively and picking up our marks have been our main points of focus. Another point of focus has been our decision making under pressure. Remaining poised and making simple decisions will be critical to our success."
 
Offensively, the Hawks are troublesome due to the fact that they can strike from anywhere as seven different players have scored three or more goals this fall led by Amelia Monahan (Bristol, N.H.). The freshman forward earned All-CCC Second Team honors as the top offensive weapon for RWU this season. She led the team with nine goals, a mark that was tied for eighth in the conference, and added four assists, the second most on the roster. In addition, her two game-winning goals was tied for the most on the team with senior Hannah Palmer (Essex Junction, Vt.) and fellow classmate Ella Waryas (Foxboro, Mass.).
 
Palmer entered the season as Roger Williams' top returning player on offense and while she only scored five goals this season, she did have a knack for timely scores with two game-winning and two game-tying goals. She applies a lot of pressure on defenses with a team-high .758 shot on goal percentage this year. In addition, with more defensive attention turned her way, Palmer has become the team's top facilitator and she leads the squad with five assists.
 
Fellow seniors Brooklyn Cenatiempo (Trumbull, Conn.) and Hannah Gaffney (Bolton, Mass.) are also critical parts of the RWU offense. Cenatiempo ranks as one of the top offensive players in program history and has scored six goals with a team-best .214 shooting percentage (minimum ten shots) while adding three assists. Gaffney is a terrific two-way player for the Hawks who will often use her powerful shot off set plays and penalty corners. She has scored four goals, the fifth most on the team, while also adding three assists and playing strong defense in the midfield.
 
The true breakout star of this Hawks team has been junior Morgan Foley (Hanover, Mass.). She was effective in limited chances as a freshman but this season she has emerged into Roger Williams' second-best scorer as she has found the back of the cage seven times, a number that is tied for the 14^th most in the CCC.  
 
Sophomores Kelly Doherty (Mansfield, Mass.) and Cate Delaney (Gloucester, Mass.) will be active members of the RWU offense and will initiate a majority of the penalty corners for the team. Doherty has two goals and two assists on the season while Delaney has found the back of the cage three times to go with one assist. Waryas also has three goals this season, including two game-winners.
 
Sophomore Hunter Phillips (Schuylerville, N.Y.) makes an impact from goal line to goal line for Roger Williams. As a second team all-conference selection, Phillips has scored two goals, assisted on three more, and is great defensively. She is a defender but tends to play a bit higher up as a defense-midfield hybrid for the Hawks.
 
Erin Magsamen (Bridgewater, N.J.) is the team's top pure defender and is tied for the conference-lead with three defensive saves. On the other side of the RWU defense is fellow senior Taylor Woodbury (Hamiton, Mass.) who is second on the team with a pair of defensive saves of her own.
 
In goal for Roger Williams will be Callie Flanagan (Wenham, Mass.). The senior captain is simply the best goalkeeper in program history and has started all 16 games this season, leading the conference with 968:52 in goal. She ranks fourth in the CCC in goals against average with 2.23 to go with a .604 save percentage.
 
For The Fighting Scots
Gordon College ranks last in the conference in both goals per game and goals allowed per game. Offensively, they have only scored nine goals this season which comes out to a 0.7 goals per game average, while they have allowed 3.22 goals per game, though they rank better in both categories in conference play. No matter what the statistics say, and no matter what their record shows, the Fighting Scots got to this point for a reason and are fresh off a huge, 2-1 overtime victory over Salve Regina University to get into the playoffs.
 
"Gordon will be coming in fired up after an OT win on Saturday to earn a playoff berth," Blackhurst said. "They play with a lot of heart and hustle and apply a lot of defensive pressure on the field and are led by experienced seniors."
 
A majority of the offense for the Fighting Scots this season has come from the duo of Anna Rathbun (Gorham, Maine) and Cara Goudie (Wenham, Mass.). Rathbun provides efficient scoring as she leads the team with four goals, including one game-winner this fall despite only attempting ten shots. Goudie leads Gordon with 34 shots taken, scoring three goals to go with an assist. Megan Gordon (West Rockport, Maine) is also a factor and is full of confidence after scoring the game-winning goal in the Salve Regina game.
 
The top defender for Gordon is freshman Emma Darling (South Portland, Maine) who has started every game this season and leads the team with three defensive saves. She will likely line up alongside her older sister, Abigail Darling (South Portland, Maine) who also has one defensive save this season. Senior Maya Mulholland (Wethersfield, Conn.) will also likely play a role as a defensive-minded midfielder.
 
It is anyone's guess who will get the nod in goal for the Fighting Scots as all three goalkeepers on the roster have played and started in cage this season. The most likely starter, however, is Sophea Zaskoda (Lansdale, Pa.) who leads the team in starts, games played, and minutes played. She has allowed 3.96 goals per game despite a .741 save percentage that ranks fourth in the CCC.
 
Previous Matchups
The Hawks and the Fighting Scots met a couple weeks ago on October 16^th at Bayside Field with RWU rolling to a 5-1 Senior Day victory. Cenatiempo scored four goals while Hannah Palmer and Hannah Gaffney each had two assists. Waryas scored the game-winning tally for RWU while Goudie netted the lone score for Gordon.
 
How To Follow Along
The contest is set for a 4:00 PM start time on Tuesday at Bayside Field on the campus of Roger Williams University.
 
If you cannot make it in person, you can follow along online.
 
VIDEO: https://rwuhawks.com/sports/2013/9/13/fhockey_live_video.aspx
 
LIVE STATS: https://rwuhawks.com/sidearmstats/fhockey/summary