Women's Soccer Falls Short to RWU 3-1 in Season Opener

NEWTON, Mass. (9/1/15) – The Lasell College women's soccer team fell to Roger Williams University 3-1 in the 2015 season opener at Taylor Field on Tuesday afternoon. With the loss, the Lasers drop to 0-1, as the Hawks open their season at 1-0.

The Lasers applied early pressure on the visitors, but were soon denied by the Hawks' relentless defense. 12:52 into the contest, junior midfielder Jenna Hart (Cheshire, Conn.) broke free from the hosts, and carried the ball up the right flank. Hart then framed the net on a textbook cross, as senior Haley Carignan (Scarborough, Maine) finished with a goal in the right side of the net for the game's opening point. Roger Williams struck again in a repetitive fashion with 15 minutes left on the clock, as Hart capitalized on a cross from senior forward Mariah Kaiser (Portsmouth, R.I.).

Down 2-0, the Lasers began to apply high pressure on the Hawks. After a corner attempt by the visitors, freshman defender Kaleigh Heffernan (Simsbury, Conn.) took the ball up the middle, and fired a shot just above the crossbar. Refusing to give up, junior Megan Cullen (Amesbury, Mass.) slid the ball into the net with just 10 seconds left in the half, getting the Lasers on the board before the buzzer.

Possession was split in the opening minutes of the second half, before senior Jessica Valenti (North Reading, Mass.) fired a ball in the upper ninety of Lasell's netting. RWU continued to show composure and maintained possession throughout the second half, ending with the 3-1 victory.

Sophomore keeper Sarah LaClair (Belchertown, Mass.) suffered the loss (0-1), saving three of six shots on net. In the visitors net, sophomore Sydney Martin (1-0) (Scarborough, Maine) pulled away with the victory with one save in the game.

Both teams resume non-conference play on Friday, September 4. The Lasers welcome Brandeis University for a local contest at 4:00 p.m., while the Hawks travel to Springfield College for a 7:00 p.m. kick off.