The University of Rhode Island women’s soccer team clinched the fourth seed in the Atlantic 10 Tournament, despite extending its winless streak to three matches this week, securing a home playoff match.
On Thursday, Oct. 23, the Rams traveled to Loyola University Chicago to take on the Ramblers. The teams ended the first half knotted at 0-0.
In the 47th minute, Loyola broke through to take a 1-0 lead. Less than 10 minutes later, the Rams responded as fourth-year forward McKenna Sylvester was fouled in the box, with third-year forward Lauren MacDonald slotting home the kick from the spot.
With the draw, the A-10 playoff race became much tighter for the Rams, with seeds three through eight all within five points of each other. For Rhode Island Head Coach Megan Jessee, this was not a cause for concern.
“I think at that point, we were just trying to get as fresh as possible for each game,” Jessee said. “I mean, we knew we were in the postseason. We did enough work early in the season to be in the top eight.”
On Sunday, Rhody hosted the University of Dayton, who came into the matchup with an undefeated conference record. The Flyers showcased the team that they have been all season by jumping out to a 1-0 lead in the 20th minute. While URI did have a number of scoring chances as the match progressed, with a total of six shots, Dayton’s defense would not allow Rhode Island to find a finish. The match completed 2-0, with the second goal occurring in the 72nd minute.
While Rhode Island did not come out of the match with a positive result, Jessee spoke about the team’s attitude following the match.
“Obviously Dayton’s a good team,” Jessee said. “They won the conference [in] the regular season, but I thought we played with them fine. We didn’t give up a ton of chances. I’m sure we’ll meet them again in the postseason. I think we can take a lot of great things from this game.”
For the players, this gritty performance has been a culmination of their work throughout this season and over the past few seasons, according to fourth-year defender Sarah Yee.
“Over the past few years, we’ve seen Dayton [and] Saint Louis being at the top of the conference, and I think this year we’ve had our best playing against them in the four years I’ve been here,” Yee said. “We are aware that these teams are going to come out tough; they’re going to come out fast. We know how they’re going to play. Being able to get a crack at them early and then coming into the playoffs with fresh energy [and] fresh legs is crucial for us.”
With the regular season wrapped up, Yee reflected on the opportunity to be able to help lead this team to the success that they’ve had this year.
“[As a] fourth-year captain, it means a lot to me that this team selected me to be a leader for this group,” Yee said. “I’m a Rhode Island native; I wear this jersey with pride, making sure that I show up every single day. Even if we’re down, trying to uplift everybody, that’s always got me motivated.”
At the conclusion of the day, following results from out of town, Rhode Island secured itself the fourth seed in the conference tournament and a home playoff match. It is the highest the team has finished in the standings in 11 years and the first time the team has hosted a playoff game since 2016. For Jessee, the focus is on her team being rested.
“Getting fresh, getting recovered,” Jessee said. “This was a hell of a two weeks for us. If we can get our legs back under us, I have no problem and no doubt that we can go beat any team.”
For the players, Yee said that the chance to host a postseason match is what the team has been working for.
“We’ve hustled this whole season to play at home,” Yee said. “That’s the big one for us. I think everybody’s going to be out for blood regardless, here or there. Showing up with that energy and intensity is going to be really important for us.”
Rhode Island will be looking for its first A-10 Tournament win since 2006 this weekend. The quarterfinal match will take place on Halloween night, with Virginia Commonwealth University traveling into Kingston. The battle of the Rams will stream on ESPN+ at 7 p.m.
