Seahawks surge past Hawks in second half

MIDDLETOWN, R.I. – The Salve Regina University field hockey team defeats Roger Williams University 6-2 thanks to a second half surge of points in the final regular season home game for the Seahawks.

Abigail Tepper (Foxboro, Mass.) accounted for half of Salve Regina's goals, as the Seahawks remain undefeated versus Roger Williams in four all-time meetings.

The Seahawks trailed initially in the game when Stephanie Yaeger (Ganesvoort, N.Y.) scored on an assist from Abby Treweek (Lakeville, Mass.) at 4:12. The Seahawks responded by getting aggressive and taking the ball straight into the middle of the Hawks defense.

Julia Grover (Cotuit, Mass.) scored unassisted at 8:16 to tie the game then Tepper tipped home a shot from Amber Cody (Pawling, N.Y.) to give the Seahawks the lead at 19:18.  The Seahawks dominated time of possession and played stellar defense on the back end, disrupting Hawk's rushes and not allowing any second chances on shots generated from the perimeter. 

On offense the Seahawks routinely drove strong into the zone and looked for a high volume of shots towards the net. This style resulted in put back opportunities and five corner opportunities. The aggressive style paid dividends in the second half by wearing down Roger Williams. Where before the Seahawks were firing shots into a crowd, players were able to find open space and get shots directly at Hawk's net minder Melora Lavoie (Poland, Maine) with crisp passing.

Abigail Tepper scored after Marissa Gagnon (Smithfield, R.I.) kept a play alive near the top of the circle, weaving around defenders and finding Tepper alone on the right side. Tepper would score again 53 seconds later when Sarah Thompson (Clinton, Conn.) similarly kept a ball in the zone and picked her way through the defense to set-up Tepper's hat-trick goal and a 4-1 lead for the Seahawks.

Julianna Miccile (Upton, Mass.) would snap a shot past Murphy McCann (Westerly, R.I.) at 56:18 to stem the tide for Roger Williams, but Salve Regina would answer swiftly to seal the game. Brooke Tolley (Brookside, N.J.) scored unassisted at 57:37 followed Gagnon at 64:41.

On the night Salve Regina outshot Roger Williams 31-19 with 14 shots reaching goal for the Seahawks as compared to eight for the Hawks.

Roger Williams finishes its season 7-12 and 3-9 in the CCC.

Salve Regina with the win is locked into the fourth seed of the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) playoffs with a record of 12-6 (5-6 CCC) and will play one final regular season game on the road against Nichols on November 1.