BRISTOL, R.I. – Following a huge, come-from-behind victory over third-seeded Western New England University, the sixth-seeded Roger Williams University Women's Soccer team hunts another upset as they travel to duel the second-seeded University of New England on Wednesday evening for a Commonwealth Coast Conference Semifinals matchup. This marks the eighth time in the Tim Moody-era that the Hawks have reached the semifinals, with the team advancing to the conference finals in five of their previous trips.
 
"We have had our ups and downs this season," Head Coach Tim Moody said. "Injuries have played their part, but if you make the playoffs, win a game, and get to the semifinal, you are in a good place and have done a good job. But make no mistake, we are in it to win it. If we play to our strengths and go about our business in the right manner, we can be scary good and beat anybody."
 
Entering the CCC Tournament as their lowest seed in their ten seasons with Tim Moody at the helm, Roger Williams proved that they were not to be taken lightly in the conference quarterfinals. They knocked out WNE by netting a pair of goals in the second half to claim the comeback victory over the Golden Bears and after that win, they stand at 13-7-0 on the season. The Nor'Easters, meanwhile, come in at 12-5-1 on the campaign and rolled through seventh-seeded Salve Regina University, 3-0, in the quarterfinals round to advance to the semifinals.
 
"We are probably the best team in our conference not to host a home game," Moody stated. "We need to embrace the road warrior spirit and go with it. If you are still playing, you still have an opportunity to win something, so we will continue with that mindset. We will continue to attack, create goal scoring opportunities and then check the scoreboard at the end of the match to see if we did enough to progress to the final."
 
For The Hawks
Defensively, Roger Williams is solid as they rank sixth in the CCC in goals against average with a mark of 1.29. However, the game plan for RWU is simple; put the ball in the back of the net and do it a lot. The Hawks are owners of the top offense in the Commonwealth Coast Conference netting 2.75 goals per game this fall, and they do so by applying constant pressure on the opposition taking 17.3 shots per game, the second most in the CCC.
 
"We have good players and can play soccer at a good level," Moody said about his squad. "The ups and downs we have had can actually help a team. You get a better understanding of your strengths and the areas where you need to improve to take you to the next level. At the end of the day, it is November, and we have another game to play and that is never a bad thing. You want to be playing for as long as you can."
 
RWU boasts the top offensive threat in the conference in Co-Offensive Player of the Year Bianca Robbins (Johnston, R.I.). She is the only player in the CCC to have scored double-digit goals this season netting 16 to go with three assists and leads the conference with 35 points, though she gets plenty of help. Lining up alongside her is the all-conference second team selection Leah Yucius (Duxbury, Mass.) who is tied for second in the CCC with nine goals in addition to adding a trio of helpers. Meanwhile, All-CCC First Team freshman Rachel Oster (Scituate, R.I.) roams the sidelines and excels at passing the ball as she is tied for the conference lead with eight assists to go with six goals, including the game-winner in the team's quarterfinals victory.
 
Rotating in off the bench are Ariana Montero (Milford, Conn.), Tayla Salome (Lincoln, R.I.), and Sabrina Sherman (Brentwood, N.H.) to provide scoring punch. Montero leads this group and is tied for 14^th in the conference with five goals while Salome is right behind her with four goals on the season. Sherman has found the back of the net thrice this fall and is also the best passer posting a pair of assists.
 
In the midfield, Roger Williams has the facilitating skills of Raffaella Brunetti (North Providence, R.I.), who is tied for sixth in the CCC with five helpers in addition to a pair of scores. Their midfield starters are also standouts, however. Their most offensive-minded member of this group is Kelly Yadoff (Wycoff, N.J.) who has set a career-high in total points with two goals and four assists. Cassidy Collins (Wilmington, Mass.) and Jen Donohue (Halifax, Mass.) contribute as more defensive minded individuals, but the biggest difference maker is Sarina Olson (Bristol, R.I.).
 
Olson will patrol the entirety of the right sideline for the Hawks as both a great passer and individual defender. She truly plays goal line to goal line and has an argument to be the best all-around player on the team. In addition, her four assists are second on the squad and she is usually utilized to initiate set plays on free kicks and corners.
 
The defensive backs for RWU will be Sammy Jost (Ringwood, N.J.), Grace Kelly (Milford, N.H.), and Mollie Feldman (Highland Falls, N.Y.). The 2019 all-conference second team honoree Jost will push up and play closer to the midfield and is probably the best of the bunch, but Kelly may be the most important as the center back and anchor of the Hawks defense.
 
In net, Roger Williams will likely go with Morgan McCutcheon (Danbury, Conn.) who is coming off maybe the best game of her career. She shook off an early goal allowed and ended up compiling a career-high 15 saves to get the win over WNE in the quarterfinals. On the season she is fourth in the CCC with an .818 save percentage and is seventh with a 1.27 goals against average. However, the most crucial thing is that when she is in net, she does enough to put the team in position to win as her 11 wins in goal are tied for the most in the conference.
 
For The Nor'Easters
The University of New England ranks in the middle of the pack offensively, scoring 1.83 goals per game, the sixth best in the CCC, but they combine that with a suffocating defense that averaged 0.71 goals against per contest to be one of the most well-rounded teams in the region this fall.
 
"Our expectations for the next team we face is the same as any other team," Moody said. "And at the end of the day, we think if we play like we are capable of, we can win. So, our mindset is simple: let's go score some goals and defend like crazy, and let's go beat them. If you are in a semifinal, you take one game at a time, but knowing, win this one and you are in a final. We want to be one of two teams to be in that title game on Saturday."
 
Anchoring the defense for the Nor'Easters is All-CCC Second Team goalkeeper Sydney Gillingham (Standish, Maine) who ranks well in the conference in all the key goalkeeping statistics including third in save percentage (.854), fourth in goals against average (0.78), fourth in wins (10), and second in complete game shutouts (7).
 
In front of Gillingham, UNE boasts as good a defensive pairing as you will find in the CCC in the form of Riley Dunphy (Halifax, Mass.) and Erica Dimmick (Sutton, Mass.). Both really epitomize being defenders, but they excel at it and are a big reason that opponents shoot at a measly .063 clip against them. Dunphy earned all-conference first team honors as a big and physical back for the Nor'Easters, while the second-team honoree Dimmick plays a little more aggressively on offense and has pitched in a pair of goals.
 
Along with their all-conference pairing, the University of New England will likely start Caroline Meuse (Hampton, N.H.) with Maddie Scammell (Scarborough, Maine) rotating in off the bench. In addition, Alyssa Boillard (Wilbraham, Mass.) makes an impact as a defensive-minded midfielder, as she was named to the all-conference second team as a result.
 
With their ability to shut down opposing offenses with three defensive backs plus Boillard on the field, the Nor'Easters are able to push forward with their other midfielders and attackers and as a result, they have received a goal from 15 different players this fall including nine different players who have found the back of the net multiple times. The best of this bunch is Tori Keyes (Hooksett, N.H.) as she led the team with five goals scored this fall, including a trio of game-winners, while adding four assists, the third most on the roster.
 
Keyes combines with Meredith Kennedy (Byfield, Mass.) and Sam Barone (Wallingford, Conn.) to formulate the team's forward rotation. Kennedy is a critical second option and is tied for second on the team with four goals in addition to three assists while Barone has three goals and two assists, and her two game-winning tallies are second on the roster.
 
The University of New England also benefits from a number of contributions in the midfield. Lizzie Frattaroli (Boston, Mass.) leads this group with four goals and two assists. Morgan Diefenbach (Lancaster, Mass.) has pitched in with three goals and two assists as well, while Olivia King (Milton, Vt.) is the most efficient contributor as she has scored two goals and assisted on two others while posting a .714 shot on goal percentage and shooting .286 overall.
 
The top-two facilitators for the Nor'Easters also roam the midfield in the form of Marie Hoehner (Newmarket, N.H.) and Bella Reil (Berwick, Maine). They are tied for the team lead and are tied for third in the CCC with seven assists each while the latter has also contributed a goal.
 
Previous Meetings
This is the second consecutive season that the two teams have encountered each other in the CCC Tournament after UNE knocked the Hawks out on their home turf in the 2019 semifinals. RWU will look to return the favor this year and they have won eight of the last ten meetings, including the matchup in the regular season when Roger Williams matched the season-high for goals allowed by UNE in a 3-1 win in Bristol. RWU got goals from Yucius, Oster, and Sherman in the come-from-behind win after Frattaroli's first half score did not stand for the Nor'Easters.
 
How To Follow Along
Opening kickoff for this semifinal's showdown is set for 7:00 PM Wednesday night at Blue Storm Stadium on the campus of the University of New England.
 
If you cannot make it in person, you can follow along online.
 
VIDEO: https://athletics.une.edu/sports/2016/9/2/watch-womens-soccer.aspx
 
LIVE STATS: https://athletics.une.edu/sidearmstats/wsoc/summary