The University of Rhode Island women’s soccer team split its two Atlantic 10 Conference games this week against La Salle University and St. Bonaventure University.
On Thursday, Sept. 25, the Rams returned to the URI Soccer Complex for the first time since a Sept. 11 loss against the University of Connecticut.
It was the first home A-10 game for the Rams this season as they hosted La Salle, who lost its first A-10 match of the season at home to the University of Dayton, 2-0. The Rams, on the other hand, were coming off a shutout win against Saint Joseph’s University and had won four of their last five games.
It was a frustrating first half offensively for the Rams as they put up seven shots, with five being in the first 15 minutes, and three of them were saved in the first 10 minutes. Meanwhile, the Explorers didn’t record a shot until the 16th minute. They finished with three total shots in the first half and one shot on goal. The score going into halftime was 0-0.
“We were just really frantic for some reason,” URI Head Coach Megan Jessee said. “Just the soccer wasn’t good enough… The basics of soccer weren’t here tonight, and that’s what killed us, frankly.”
La Salle, unlike URI, was able to capitalize on its opportunities. In the 76th minute, the Explorers were awarded a corner kick. Explorers first-year defender Rylee Henson lined up to take the kick and boot it toward the box. Henson’s kick soared into the penalty box, where fellow first-year Kayden Williams headed the ball into the goal to give the Explorers the 1-0 lead.
“They were looking to play up top a lot,” URI third-year forward Lauren MacDonald said. “So we were just trying to maintain those few people and try and keep them off the ball.”
The Rams tried to salvage at least one point with a tie but were unsuccessful, as four shots in the last 10 minutes couldn’t find the back of the net. The loss marked the second straight home loss for the Rams and their first conference loss of the season.
“We dominated the game, but the quality wasn’t there in the final third to finish,” Jessee said. “We should’ve at least come out of here with a 0-0 tie, but the quality wasn’t there in the moments we needed to be.”
Following the loss, the Rams hopped on a bus and headed to New York to take on the Bonnies. The Rams looked to continue their road dominance, as they possessed a 4-1 record on the season heading into the game. The Bonnies were coming off a road loss to Davidson University and had yet to win an A-10 match this season.
The Rams followed a similar strategy to their last game by putting the offensive pressure on early. Rhody put five shots on goal and seven shots total in the first 20 minutes of the match. In comparison, the Bonnies only had one shot on goal, which was their only shot in that same time period.
One of URI’s five shots on goal came in the 11th minute from fourth-year forward McKenna Sylvester. Sylvester dribbled past the Bonnies’ defense and had a one-on-one with Bonnies second-year goalkeeper Adelaide Paredes. Sylvester drew Paredes too far off her line and snuck a shot past her for a URI goal and an early 1-0 lead.
That early lead didn’t stop the Rams from continuing to put pressure on the Bonnies’ defense. 15 minutes later, Sylvester scored off a cross from MacDonald to give the Rams a 2-0 lead just 26 minutes into the game. Sylvester’s second score marked the first multi-goal game of her career.
The Rams, going into halftime with a 2-0 lead, finished the first half with 13 shots and seven shots on goal compared to St. Bonaventure, who mustered up just two shots the entire half, with one shot on goal.
In the second half, after assisting Sylvester’s goal, MacDonald got a touch on a loose ball and put it past Bonnies fourth-year keeper Jael Schubert. Schubert, who replaced Paredes after halftime, was diving for the loose ball, which gave MacDonald an open net to place her shot.
MacDonald’s shot gave URI a 3-0 lead and a win. The victory gave URI its eighth win of the season, which not only surpasses its win total from last season, but the win total is the most for the program since 2014.
Rhody returns home on Thursday, Oct. 2 to face Fordham University as they look to snap a two-game home losing streak. The game will stream on ESPN+ and a radio broadcast will be available on RIU2 at 7 p.m.
