The University of Rhode Island women’s soccer team catapulted four spots up the Atlantic 10 standings with a 2-0 victory on the road against Fordham University on Sunday.
Entering the match, URI had been plagued by road matches this year with a record of 0-5-2 compared to their 5-1 record at the URI Soccer Complex. Looking to dispel this narrative on Sunday, they took on Fordham, who were undefeated at home and sitting in fourth in the conference standings heading in.
Fordham applied pressure early on in the match with three shots on goal in the opening 20 minutes. First-year goalkeeper Chelsea Mohammed was able to keep them off the scoreboard with three early saves. Mohammed was making just the second start of her career with the first being a 1-0 loss to the University of Dayton the match prior.
“Coming off my first game, I felt like all my nerves were settled,” Mohammed said. “I felt like I was ready to handle whatever was thrown at me.”
Rhode Island didn’t get their first shot on net until 28 minutes in, when second-year forward Lauren MacDonald sent a line drive that appeared to be heading for the back of the net before third-year goalkeeper Kyla King dove to get her fingertips on it and make the save.
Throughout the scoreless first half, the shots on both sides were even with seven apiece. However, Fordham was putting a lot of pressure on Mohammed with five shots on goal compared to just one for URI. Mohammed was able to make all five necessary saves, though, and keep Fordham off the scoreboard.
“The main thing is just confidence as a goalkeeper,” Mohammed said. “When you’re able to establish the confidence and come out for the ball early and make your presence known in the beginning of the game, it helps deter the attackers on the other team.”
Five minutes into the second half, MacDonald delivered a centering pass from the left side of the pitch and first-year forward Kaia Rice was able to rise above the defenders to head the ball into the left side of the net, giving URI a 1-0 advantage. It was the second goal of the season for Rice, the first of which came in a 1-1 draw against Bryant University on Sept. 12.
Rhode Island broke through again with 23 minutes remaining in the game when fourth-year forward Tierra Garniss set up MacDonald with a leading pass down the center of the pitch. MacDonald took full advantage as she snuck a low shot past King for her team-leading fifth goal of the season and gave URI a 2-0 lead. MacDonald received A-10 Player of the Week honors following her goal and assist in this match.
The defense for Rhode Island held strong in the second half as they didn’t allow any shots on goal and cruised to the 2-0 victory. Rhody flipped the script in this half, putting constant pressure on Fordham with six shots on goal. The win also marked the first victory of Mohammed’s career and earned her A-10 Defensive Player of the Week honors.
“It’s very special to me,” Mohammed said. “Every day you put in the work so just to see that good things are happening when you step on the field for your team and for yourself is just a great feeling.”
Following the win, URI moved to an overall record 6-6-2 and climbed from 10th to sixth in the conference standings with a 3-3 conference record. This is notable as the top eight teams in the conference will advance to the postseason. Therefore, with four games remaining on the schedule, the Rams are in position to make the conference tournament.
“[The win] boosts our morale a lot and shows how competitive we are in conference,” Mohammed said. “It really shows that our team is in it to win it and playoffs are a really good potential thing for our team.”
Rhode Island will look to ride the momentum of the victory as they return home to take on St. Bonaventure University at 6 p.m. on Thursday. The game can be streamed on ESPN+ and RIU2.org.