BRISTOL, R.I. – The top-seeded Roger Williams University Women's Lacrosse team punched their ticket to their eighth-consecutive Commonwealth Coast Conference Championship game, riding a 15-goal first half past the number-four seed Salve Regina University, 20-4, in the CCC Semifinals on Wednesday night at Bayside Field. The Hawks found the back of the net 20 times in the contest, making it the ninth time this spring that they have eclipsed that mark, it is also the most goals the team has scored in a postseason game since netting 21 against the University of New England in the CCC Quarterfinals on April 28^th, 2009.
 
RWU improves to 15-1 on the season, matching their program-record for wins in a season as they advance to the CCC title game for the 11^th time and seek their third conference championship. The Seahawks, meanwhile, see their season come to a close at 9-5.
 
Hannah Goodwin (Bradford, Mass.) went the first 45 minutes in this one for the Hawks and was terrific, if rarely challenged. She stopped two-thirds of the six shots she faced to get the win and improve to 15-1. Grace Haesche (Warwick, N.Y.) was also good but at some point, too many shots against is just too many as she allowed 18 goals against 11 saves to take the loss and fall to 9-5.
 
Hawk Highlights
Lily Cunningham: 5 goals, 3 ground balls, 3 caused turnovers, 4 draw controls
Mandy Beck: 3 goals, 1 assist, 1 ground ball, 1 caused turnover, 2 draw controls
Ryleigh Cavanaugh: 2 goals, 2 assists, 1 ground ball, 8 draw controls
Brooke McErlain: 2 goals, 4 ground balls, 4 caused turnovers, 2 draw controls
 
Hannah Goodwin: 4 saves, 2 goals allowed, 0 ground balls, 45:00 minutes in goal
Caroline Roach: 0 saves, 2 goals allowed, 0 ground balls, 15:00 minutes in goal
 
For The Opponents
Nicole Smith: 1 goal, 3 ground balls, 4 draw controls
Emma Breen: 1 goal, 1 ground balls, 1 caused turnover
Kelly Ventura: 1 goal, 1 draw control
Brynn Mendes: 1 goal
 
Grace Haesche: 11 saves, 18 goals allowed, 3 ground balls, 45:00 minutes in goal
Kiely Callahan: 4 saves, 2 goals allowed, 0 ground balls, 15:00 minutes in goal
 
How It Happened
Salve Regina would keep the potent RWU offense at bay for nearly the first four minutes of action before Nicole Smith (North Attleboro, Mass.) committed a foul inside the arch and it ended up being a spark for Roger Williams. Brooke McErlain (Hampton, N.H.) proceeded to open the scoring with a free-position tally as the flood gates opened. The recently named CCC Offensive Player of the Year, Mandy Beck (Old Saybrook, Conn.) followed with a tally just over 30 seconds later then Devon Sarazin (Falmouth, Maine) got one of her own 45 seconds after that with Ryleigh Cavanaugh (Manchester, N.H.) assisting on both. Lily Cunningham (Melrose, Mass.) then notched the first of her five goals on the evening with RWU's fourth score in less than two minutes of action to prompt a timeout by the guests. The timeout spurred a brief lull in the scoring, but it would not last as Nikki Norton (Braintree, Mass.) got in on the fun. At the six-minute mark, Beck and Cunningham each got their second tallies of the contest to extend the lead to seven. Finally, with 4:51 remaining, Kelly Ventura (Floral Park, N.Y.) answered for the guests, finishing her shot with a little extra emphasis as she spiked her stick for inspection though it did not change a thing. McErlain took a feed from Karli Chapin (Cape Elizabeth, Maine) just 23 seconds later to halt the SRU "rally" and conclude the first quarter's scoring.
 
The slaughter continued for RWU in the second frame as it took them just 49 seconds to get their first goal courtesy of Cavanaugh off a dish by Beck. Moments later, Beck got the Hawks to double-digits with a free-position tally before Ella Waryas (Foxboro, Mass.) got things into running clock with her eighth goal of the spring. Cunningham posted her third score of the game then Sarazin got two more for the hosts, the first on a free-position attempt and the second off a feed from Waryas. Julia Kelley (Foxborough, Mass.) put the finishing touches on the truly dominant first half of play, finding the back of the net with 23 seconds remaining in the quarter to make the score 15-1 at the break.
 
The Hawks absolutely dominated in every way in the first half, collecting 13 of the 17 draws, going 7-for-7 on clears while holding the visitors to 3-of-8. They also outshot the Seahawks 30-6 including 24-4 in shots on goal.
 
With the game for all intents-and-purposes complete, Emma Breen (Norwell, Mass.) opened the second half of play by picking off an RWU clear attempt near midfield and took it herself for her second goal of the season. Roger Williams had as bevvy of reserves in at this point in the contest, but it did not stop them from going on a run as Cunningham got a pair with a Kelley score wedged in between to make things 18-2 as we turned for home.
 
A testament to the lobsided numbers on the scoreboard, both squads made changes in net for the fourth quarter that would see them alternate goals. The CCC's second-leading scorer entering the night, Smith finally broke through to start the fourth for Salve Regina then Kiley Ruffhead (Reisterstown, Md.) answered for RWU. Brynn Mendes (Centerville, Mass.) and Cavanaugh would put the finishing touches on the 20-4 score in favor of Roger Williams as the Hawks advanced to the Commonwealth Coast Conference Championship game for the eighth straight time.
 
What's Next
As the conference's top seed, the CCC Championship runs through Bristol and Roger Williams will play host to who else, but Endicott College as the Hawks and Gulls will clash with the conference crown on the line for the sixth-consecutive year. Like last spring, RWU will host the contest with the start time set for noon on Saturday.