BRISTOL, R.I. – The Roger Williams University Field Hockey team held on for a key Senior Day victory on Saturday afternoon over the Western New England Golden Bears, 2-1, clinching their spot in the Conference of New England (CNE) Tournament on Senior Day.
Ahead of the match, the Hawks celebrated seven members of the team who will be finishing their undergraduate degrees. Grace Rocheleau (West Hartford, Conn.), Lily Tobin (Sandwich, Mass.), Chelsea King (Albany, N.Y.), Hannah Timbrouck (Kingston, N.Y.), Elizabeth Duquette (Pittsford, N.Y.), Ally Orlofski (Lynnfield, Mass.), and Hannah Brazil (Sandwich, Mass.) were all celebrated.
The Hawks out shot WNE 15-7, with 11 shots on target to the Golden Bears' five. The Golden Bears had three penalty corners, while the Hawks were able to garner six opportunities. WNE's goalkeeper, Alex Tardugno, made nine saves in the match, keeping the game within reach, while RWU had four total saves, two from the goalkeeper Brazil.
After a scoreless opening half, the Hawks opened things up in the third quarter, 5:23 into the half, with Maddy Monahan (Bristol, N.H.) sending a cross through a group of defenders, untouched, which rolled into the right corner of the goal.
The Hawks added another goal in the fourth, as Eva Wood (Sandwich, Mass.) was on the receiving end of a pass from Libby Corsetti (Arlington, Mass.) that Wood snuck by Tardugno, putting the Hawks up by two with 12:06 remaining.
The Golden Bears did not back down, as a key defensive save with 10:29 remaining kept WNE off the scoreboard. WNE kept the pressure up throughout the rest of the period, as the Hawks needed another defensive save by McKenzie Foley (Hanover, Mass.) with 5:31 remaining, holding off the Golden Bears. After drawing a penalty stroke, the Golden Bears saw Mikayla Mrzywka convert the opportunity with 5:30 remaining in the match. The Hawks were able to hold off the Golden Bears to secure the match.
Roger Williams (13-5, 6-1 CNE) will travel to face MIT on Wednesday, Oct. 29 at 6:00 pm to round out the regular season. The Hawks will then receive a bye in the first round of the CNE Tournament, hosting a CNE Semifinal on Wednesday, Oct. 5.
