The University of Rhode Island women’s lacrosse team suffered a 12-8 loss to St. Bonaventure University on Saturday.
The Rams allowed five goals in the first quarter and were never able to find a lead throughout the game.
“I think the Atlantic 10 is a really competitive conference,” URI Head Coach Jenna Slowey said. “I think on any given day, anyone can be beaten.”
The five-goal quarter by the Bonnies was evenly spread out, with five different players scoring. Fourth-year midfielder Brooke Piper got the scoring started for the Bonnies, the first of her three goals. The Rams were able to escape the first quarter with one goal by fifth-year attacker Caitlin Dellecave.
Rhode Island was able to cut the deficit to 6-3 by the end of the second quarter with goals from first-year Ashlyn Carpenter and third-year Caralie Basuel.
“We got a little bit too far ahead of ourselves,” Slowey said. “We thought too much about the big picture, wanting to make the A-10 Tournament instead of focusing on getting a little bit better every single day.”
The Rams kept the deficit even with the Bonnies, with the score being 8-5 after the third quarter.
The Rams were unable to spark a comeback in the fourth quarter, despite great efforts from Basuel and Dellecave, who each scored a goal in the final frame.
“We have to shoot better,” Slowey said. “If a couple of those shots go differently, maybe the game swings in a different direction. A couple of our players, I think, could have put a couple more in the back of the net.”
The Rams outshot the Bonnies 27-23 in the game, but were unable to take the lead at any point during the game. This was largely due to the effort of second-year goalie Judy Mahoney, who posted 10 saves for the Bonnies.
“I am excited about next week,” Slowey said. “We are headed to Duquesne [University] on Friday morning bright and early, so hopefully we can come back with a win.”
The Rams will have the remainder of the week to prepare for their next matchup against A-10 opponent Duquesne. The Rams will face off against the Dukes on ESPN+ on Saturday at 1 p.m.
