The University of Rhode Island women’s lacrosse team made its Division I debut on Saturday afternoon in a home scrimmage against the College of the Holy Cross.
The Crusaders led from start to finish in a 18-7 victory, but the focus for Rhode Island immediately turned to the start of its inaugural Division I regular season.
“Like I told them I don’t care what the score looks like,” URI Head Coach Jenna Slowey said. “We’re focused on getting better and us making adjustments [and] continuing to be hungry and excited for that next game.”
Holy Cross came out strong in the first quarter with a quick goal from fourth-year Isabela Miller. URI’s fourth-year goalkeeper, Casey Phelps, made a key save early in the period. The Rams responded with a goal from second-year Sydney MacDonald, assisted by second-year Cali Dunn off of a missed shot.
Holy Cross regained the lead when fourth-year Ella Kittredge scored in the fifth minute. URI’s defense faced pressure, including a green card issued to Holy Cross’ Lindsey Hult. Rams defender, third-year Katie Koroly, held her opponent to the sideline, but Holy Cross was ultimately awarded with a penalty shot that Phelps saved.
Holy Cross added another goal when third-year Annabel Brennan found the back of the net after eight minutes. The Crusaders capitalized on a turnover, with fourth-year Riley Peters scoring next.
Throughout the quarter, Holy Cross pushed the ball forward while URI struggled to break through. Phelps recorded five saves in the first period, including a penalty shot save. Despite the struggle for the Rams in the first quarter, Phelps and the rest of her teammates remained cool, calm and collected.
“I just kind of block out if a ball goes in,” Phelps said. “Say I got the next one, even if a girl is like, streaking down the middle, just knowing I can stop her.”
The Rams struggled with turnovers, committing five in the opening minutes of the second quarter. A penalty from URI set up Holy Cross’ second-year Kate Avitabile to score, assisted by Miller, within the first two minutes.
“We are really inexperienced and I think a lot of those mistakes that you see out there are inexperienced mistakes,” Slowey said. “But the positive on that is that it’s all fixable”.
URI’s second-year Brinley Myers received a yellow card midway through the second quarter, but the Rams managed to push the ball forward. Holy Cross committed a penalty within the arc when first-year Heidi Albrecht was struck in the head. Albrecht scored off the penalty shot, making it 6-2 with 4:42 left in the quarter.
Holy Cross kept the pressure on with Kittredge scoring once again. URI’s defense held firm at times, with Phelps making back-to-back saves to prevent further damage. However, Kittredge completed her hat trick, scoring a third goal to extend the Crusaders’ lead to 8-2 at the half.
Holy Cross extended its lead in the third quarter with a goal from Peters. The Crusaders continued to pressure, with third-year Racheli Levy-Smith forcing a steal. URI’s defense, led by first-year Mackenzie Liberatore, made a strong stand before URI answered back with a goal from second-year Cali Dunn.
Peters scored again shortly after, completing her hat trick. Kittredge added another goal five minutes into the quarter and scored again just a minute later. URI was issued a green card to second-year Carlie Basuel, but the Rams managed to stay competitive. In the final two minutes, Myers netted a goal for URI, making it 12-4, and followed up with another goal after a penalty. Phelps made another impressive save before Albrecht scored with 25 seconds left to close out the quarter, leaving the score at 12-6.
The Crusaders scored just a minute into the fourth quarter as Miller found the net. URI received another green card going to Myers, but Holy Cross continued to dominate, with third-year Tory Rider and Kate Burns adding goals. First-year Hadley Cepiel stole the ball and converted it into another goal for Peters. A penalty shot for URI, converted by Basuel, was answered by a goal from Brennan who minutes later scored her third goal, completing her own hat trick and securing a commanding 18-7 win.
The Rams will begin their Division I play on Feb. 16 at 1 p.m. at Meade Stadium against Merrimack College. The game can be streamed on ESPN+.