BRISTOL, R.I. – Seeking their eighth conference title in program history, the sixth-seeded Roger Williams University Women's Soccer team prepares to venture to Gordon College to battle the fourth-seeded Fighting Scots in the Commonwealth Coast Conference Finals on Saturday afternoon. The Hawks punched their ticket to the finals by proving to be road warriors, knocking off the third-seed, Western New England University before shutting out the two-seed, University of New England on Wednesday night.
"Every year or every season, you need to rebuild or reload your team with new players and people who share your philosophy, values, passion if you want to compete for a championship," Head Coach
Tim Moody said. "Becoming a good team or establishing a top program, does not happen overnight, it takes time, endless hours of recruiting the right players or people. Then getting them to see your vision, and dream, and coming together as one. You have to go through some adversity sometimes to come out the other side stronger. It has been a long and winding road these last two years, but we talked in August at preseason about the journey and our destination, which was to be playing on Championship Soccer Saturday. We did what we needed to do to reach a final. We gave it 100% in the quarters and semis, and we expect nothing less in the final."
Roger Williams started the season very strong, but a late-season skid dropped them to 5-4-0 in conference play and as a result, they ended up as the sixth seed entering the CCC Tournament. Nonetheless, the team has rounded back into form to pull off a pair of upsets based on seedings. Overall, RWU now stands at 14-7-0 and are winners of three of their last four matches. The Fighting Scots will be unfazed, however. After dispatching fifth-seeded Suffolk University in the quarterfinals, they pulled off an upset of their own by knocking off top-seeded Endicott College. They have played really good soccer all fall and stand at 14-3-1 overall and were ranked seventh in the latest regional poll by the United Soccer Coaches.
"We have more injuries, they keep adding up, it started in preseason, and it has not stopped," Moody mentioned. "However, this has allowed us to play more players across the season and we have more experience in the large roster of players we have carried this fall. We got to play UNE twice, home and away, beat them fair and square on both occasions. We fully deserved to win both games and progress to the CCC Final on Saturday. We have travelled with a great fan base and that support has helped tremendously.
"Getting to a championship final is extremely difficult," Moody added. "Winning is the pinnacle. A championship final is just that; two teams' step on the pitch, one will be the winner. We will do what we feel will give us the best opportunity to win the match, if that means double overtime, 90 minutes, or even penalty kicks. It does not matter how you win, as long as you do win. That is all people remember at the end of the day. We have had an excellent season, the bonus is the playoffs and a chance to win another trophy for the team, program, and university."
For The Hawks
Roger Williams showcases the top scoring offense in the Commonwealth Coast Conference netting 2.71 goals per game this season and they do so with deadly efficiency with a conference-best .161 shooting percentage.
"We have not changed too much from the regular season," Moody said. "We have continued to attack teams and play to our strengths. We score goals, lots of them, and that helps when you are trying to win soccer matches. You have to keep the faith and trust in your coaches and players, believe in the process and look for the light at the end of the tunnel."
What has led to their success of late however, has been a reinvigorated defense. While they rank sixth in the CCC with a 1.23 goals against average, they have allowed just three goals in their last four games with one of those scored coming in overtime.
A big reason for their recent strong play on the defensive end has been the strong stretch of play from
Morgan McCutcheon (Danbury, Conn.) in goal. Overall, McCutcheon ranks sixth in the conference with a 1.19 goals against average and is fourth with an .827 save percentage while pacing the CCC with 12 wins. Furthermore, she has been locked in during the postseason thus far, making 20 saves and allowing just a single goal over the past two games.
In front of her is the Hawks defensive unit consisting of
Jen Donohue (Halifax, Mass.),
Mollie Feldman (Highland Falls, N.Y.), and
Grace Kelly (Milford, N.H.). Kelly patrols the middle of the defense and is a critical component of the RWU defense and will also be tasked with initiating set plays on longer free kicks. Donohue and Feldman will flank Kelly as each have enjoyed a breakout season.
The team will also receive contributions defensively from senior captains
Sammy Jost (Ringwood, N.J.) and
Sarina Olson (Bristol, R.I.). Jost is listed as a defender but plays more in the midfield and is critical setting up and communicating the defense to the rest of the players on the pitch while also providing great passing and defensive skills. Olson will patrol the right sideline from goal line to goal line for the Hawks where she will utilize her speed, rocket right leg, and quick feet as an excellent defender and passer. She has displayed those passing skills all year long as she is tied for second on the team and seventh in the CCC with five assists this season, including a good one on Wednesday against UNE.
The Hawks midfield will consist of the veteran presences of
Jordin Comstock (East Granby, Conn.),
Cassidy Collins (Wilmington, Mass.), and
Kelly Yadoff (Wyckoff, N.J.) alongside the youth and skill of
Raffaella Brunetti (North Providence, R.I.) and
Rachel Oster (Scituate, R.I.). Among the group of upperclassmen, Yadoff is a critical piece for RWU especially on offense as she has scored two goals and four assists. Meanwhile, Brunetti has really emerged in the second half of the season especially as a passer and she is tied for second on the team and seventh in the conference with five helpers in addition to three goals including a score in the semifinals round.
The breakout star in the midfield for Roger Williams has been Oster. The freshman earned All-CCC First Team recognition this fall by leading the team and being tied for the conference lead with eight assists while also ranking tied for eighth with six goals. An excellent facilitator, Oster will use her speed to wreak havoc on the opposing defense while playing from goal line to goal line on the left side in a similar fashion to how Olson does so on the right. In addition, Oster is a good indicator of how effective the Hawks will be on a given day as a critical third scoring option, and when she records a point, the Hawks are 8-1-0 on the season.
That all leads into the biggest strength of this year's Roger Williams squad, the forwards. RWU features the most lethal attacking pair in the entire CCC in
Bianca Robbins (Johnston, R.I.) and
Leah Yucius (Duxbury, Mass.) as the duo has combined to score 26 goals with eight assists. The second-best scoring pair in the conference is owned by Gordon and has only scored 19 goals.
An All-CCC Second Team selection, Yucius has enjoyed a terrific season and ranks second on the team and in the conference with ten goals along with three assists while scoring at a very effective rate with a .233 shooting percentage this fall. She also netted the game-winning tally on Wednesday against UNE.
Alongside her is the deadliest offensive weapon the Commonwealth Coast Conference has to offer in Robbins. She earned Co-CCC Offensive Player of the Year this fall by running away with the scoring title and she currently stands with a total of 16 goals and 37 points and both marks lead the conference by a wide margin. The Hawks are 9-0-0 when Robbins finds the back of the net this year, and furthermore, she has played well lately. She scored the game-tying goal against WNE in the Quarterfinals before playing a crucial role on Wednesday. With the UNE defense focusing on limiting her chances, Robbins instead assisted on both RWU scores in the contest.
For The Fighting Scots
Gordon College rolled through the regular season as the most dominant team in the CCC finishing with a conference-best .806 overall winning percentage after finishing 14-3-1 overall and the stats back up their performance. They finished with the lowest goals-against average in the Commonwealth Coast Conference at 0.55 while netting 2.61 goals per contest, the second highest mark in the CCC. Despite this, they finished 6-2-1 in conference play to end up as the fourth seed and punched their ticket to the finals by fending off Suffolk, 2-1, and upsetting top-seeded Endicott 3-1 on Wednesday. Simply stated, the Fighting Scots are the most balanced team in the CCC because they can beat you with offensive firepower or can suffocate you on defense.
Gordon features all-conference talent at all three levels and offensively they are led by the All-CCC First Team forward Calla Ashley (Lancaster, Pa.) who is one of three players in the conference to have double-digit goals this fall, along with RWU forwards Yucius and Robbins. She pairs that with six assists to rank second in the CCC with 26 total points and keeps pressure on the defense with a .632 shot on goal percentage.
Ashley, along with All-CCC Second Team Midfielder Shelby Jones (Greenville, N.C.) combine to form the second-highest scoring pair in the conference as she ranks fourth in the conference with nine goals and six assists and is efficient in the process with a .231 shooting percentage. The bottom line with Ashley and Jones and what makes then so difficult to defend is their ability to setup others in addition to their individual scoring ability.
The other forwards the Fighting Scots will deploy are Kristi Di Rico (Wayne, Pa.) and Emily Rodriguez (Tarrytown, N.Y.). Di Rico is a critical third scoring option netting five goals while Rodriguez has recorded four goals and an assist.
McKenna Feller (Puyallup, Wash.) and Sofia Gish (Lancaster, Pa.) are other critical pieces for Gordon. Feller was an all-conference first team selection by contributing great defense while scoring five goals and a helped for the Fighting Scots. Gish, meanwhile, is a midfielder that is firmly focused on defense and was an All-CCC Second Team member for her efforts.
Even with all of their scoring ability, the strongest part of the Fighting Scots is their defense that is led by Allie LaRue (Graham, Wash.) and Savannah Metz (New Cumberland, Pa.). Each were all-conference third team selections, but they were important as they played a major roll in Gordon holding opponents to a mere 6.7 shots per game with only 45.8% of those shots on net while shooting .083 on those opportunities.
The Fighting Scots will likely deploy Tori Paine (Northbridge, Mass.) in net. Paine is a very solid goalkeeper who has only allowed 0.78 goals per game, the third-lowest mark in the CCC. However, she is beatable when teams manage shots against her, as she owns a .792 save percentage that is sixth in the conference.
Previous Matchups
Gordon claimed a 2-1 comeback victory over Roger Williams on October 20
th in Wenham, Massachusetts. Wentling scored in the 65
th minute to grab a lead that the Fighting Scots would not relinquish. Earlier on in the contest, Ashley scored for the hosts after Comstock found the back of the net for the Hawks.
How To Follow Along
Opening kickoff for the CCC Championship game is set for 5:00 PM Saturday evening at the Brigham Athletic Complex on the campus of Gordon College.
If you cannot make it in person, you can follow along online.
VIDEO and LIVE STATS:
http://https://portal.stretchinternet.com/gordon/#live
