BRISTOL, R.I. – The Roger Williams University Men's Soccer team saw their hunt for their seventh Commonwealth Coast Conference title stall out with a 3-0 loss in the CCC Semifinals round by in-state rival Salve Regina University on Tuesday night at Bayside Field. The Hawks had trouble finding traction offensively, sputtering to their first scoreless showing in their last ten games while the Seahawks offense was at full speed behind the efforts of Jacob Guerra (Colchester, Conn.) and Jordan Borges (Milford, Mass.).
 
With the loss, RWU likely concludes their season with an 11-7-3 record and will hope for good fortune when selection for the NCAA Tournament rolls around. Meanwhile, Salve Regina improves to 12-5-2 and will advance to the CCC Finals where they will host Gordon College who upset the top-seeded Endicott College Gulls earlier in the evening.
 
Guerra scored a pair of goals for the Seahawks though the game-winning tally was netted by Alessandro Oggiano (Stoughton, Mass.) earlier on, while Borges provided an assist on all three tallies. All of them supported a six-save shutout effort by Nathan Reid (Magnolia, Del.) in net.
 
Hawk Highlights
Justin Horvath: 2 shots, 2 shots on goal
Austin Hilger: 2 shots, 2 shots on goal
Jason Salley: 3 shots, 1 shot on goal
 
Jack Avellar: 3 saves, 3 goals allowed, 90:00 minutes in goal
 
For The Opponents
Jacob Guerra: 2 goals, 4 shots, 4 shots on goal
Jordan Borges: 3 assists, 2 shots
Alessandro Oggiano: 1 goal (GW), 3 shots, 2 shots on goal
 
Nathan Reid: 6 saves, 0 goals allowed, 90:00 minutes in goal
 
How It Happened
While the Seahawks would ultimately hold Roger Williams scoreless, it was the hosts who had the first great scoring opportunity in the 24^th minute. Javi Beltran (Madrid, Spain) got the ball and brought it into the right side of the box against the Salve Regina defense. He looked to send a crossing pass into the box and found his man, Justin Horvath (Stratford, Conn.), with a wide-open goal. However, the ball got caught up between his feet and he only got a weak shot off that allowed Nathan Reid (Magnolia, Del.) to recover and make the save.
 
It was all Seahawks from there beginning in the 38^th minute. They received a free kick right in front of the visiting bench along the right sideline. Jordan Borges (Milford, Mass.) took the kick and off a set play, he found Alessandro Oggiano (Stoughton, Mass.) on the weak side off the right post. He proceeded to shoot the ball back across the box and into the left side of the net for the opening score. It was his 13^th goal of the season.
 
The guests dominated the ball in the first half, outshooting RWU, 9-2, and taking more shots on goal, 3-2, however, the Hawks remained within striking distance.
 
The Seahawks wasted little time extending their lead in the second half. Evan Arpin (Andover, Mass.) sent a feed down the right sideline to Borges who redirected the ball with a great backwards touch pass to Jacob Guerra (Colchester, Conn.) with room to operate. He advanced to the top of the 18-yard box, shook the RWU defender with a good move and then took advantage of the one-on-one chance against Jack Avellar (Orleans, Mass.) off the left post shooting it into the middle of the net for the score in the 48^th minute.
 
Guerra struck again in the 56^th minute. After his first try to get to the net was deterred by the Roger Williams defense, Borges gathered a loose ball on the right side of the box and sent it back to Guerra for a second chance. Once again, he made a great move on the RWU defender, this time along the goal line to get another one-on-one chance against Avellar. Despite the difficult angle, he took advantage shooting into the right side of the goal for his second score of the game and eighth of the season.
 
As time dwindled and the pressure really built on the Roger Williams offense, they closed the disparity in scoring chances and ended up with more shots in the game, 15-12, and shots on goal, 7-6, but they never broke through and fell 3-0.
 
What's Next
The Hawks (11-7-3) will hope for good fortune with an at-large bid in the NCAA Tournament but in all likelihood, this marks the conclusion of their 2021 campaign.
 
Salve Regina (12-5-3) meanwhile set their sight on the CCC Finals where they will host Gordon College (11-5-2) on Saturday afternoon.