Plenty to Build on for Women’s Soccer

Kyle Standing04 mins

Women’s soccer honors their seniors prior to the game. Photo taken from gorhody.com.

The University of Rhode Island women’s soccer team capped off their season last week with a 4-1 defeat on the road against St. Joe’s and a 0-0 draw on Senior Day against Duquesne.

The Rams first traveled to Pennsylvania to take on St. Joe’s in their final road game of the season. Unfortunately, the Rams were put away swiftly in this one as the Hawks hammered in three goals within 13 minutes in the first half from Gabrielle Vagnozzi, Bridget Galen and Dakota Mills as the Rams went into the break in a deep 3-0 hole. 

However, the Rams made an effort at a comeback with a 74-minute goal from freshman Tali O’Leary, with the assist being given to two different Rams, freshman Carrie Ellis and junior Kaitlyn Sengphilom. St Joe’s was quick to respond though, scoring their fourth and final goal just five minutes later and finishing the game 4-1.

Despite the three-goal deficit and the 18-9 difference in shots, junior goalkeeper Julia Freeman stood tall in net, making six saves for the rams.

The second contest of the week saw the Rams return home for their final game of the season and their senior day, in which Jaileen Goncalves, Kelly Mayo and Eydis Embla were all honored. The Rams would not let the seniors go out quietly and battled with a visiting Duquesne who was competing for a spot in the A-10 playoffs.

Nothing came easy for either side as there were just fifteen total shots all games in a contest with tough weather conditions and a competitive atmosphere. In the end, the game played to a 0-0 draw from the two sides with both defenses playing stellar. The Rams defense, which was led by freshmen Karlee Luker, Ella Fitzgerald and also sophomore Grace Haggerty provided huge minutes on the back line. Junior keeper Julia Freeman also made four saves and clinched her second shutout of the season. 

Perhaps a win was the way the Rams wanted to end the season, but they finish the 2019 season 4-9-5, totaling four more wins and four more draws than the previous season. Also, six-points total in conference play marks the most since 2016, making this one of the most successful years in recent memories for the team. The future is bright for a Rhode Island team that continues to progress.