Hannah Filiault
Hannah Filiault

Seahawks split season-series with Hawks; stake a claim for home playoff

BRISTOL, R.I. - The Roger Williams University field hockey team split the season series with in-state rival Salve Regina University after dropping a 3-2 decision to the Seahawks Wednesday afternoon in Commonwealth Coast Conference action.

The early part of the game saw the two defenses stall any offensive attempt, as nether team was able to get a shot off in the first eight minutes of play. In the ninth minute, the Hawks put up two shots on goal and had three corners but were unable to get on the board.

Salve Regina came away with the first score of the game in the 12th minute. Ashley Cody (Pawling, N.Y.) got possession in the left side of the arc and knocked a shot into the right corner of the goal for her 34th tally of the year.

The Seahawks added another score in the 27th minute, when Taylor Bulis (Lakeville, Mass.) tapped a short pass to her left to Tori Bickel (Harleysville, Pa.). Bickel slammed a shot into the back of the goal for a 2-0 Salve lead.

RWU almost went into halftime scoreless, but Brooklyn Cenatiempo (Trumbull, Conn.) got RWU on the scoreboard with just under three minutes left in the half. Sydney McCarthy (Little Falls, N.Y.) grabbed a pass off of a penalty corner and faked the shot and found Cenatiempo just inside the right corner for the score.

The Seahawks were able to get that goal back two minutes into the second half. Bickel crossed a long pass to Cody, who was able to beat the RWU defense and put the Seahawks back up by two.

The Hawks would not give up, however. In the 52nd minute, Hannah Palmer (Essex Junction, Vt.) weaved her way through the Salve Regina defense on a solo breakaway and managed to get a 1v1 opportunity with keeper Ally Daly (Derry, N.H.). Daly denied Palmer's attempt, but Cenatiempo followed with a putback to bring RWU back within one.

RWU almost tied it up in the 62nd minute, when Elizabeth Prentiss had a clear look on a shot towards the right corner but a heads-up defensive save by Emma Gaudio (Cheshire, Conn.) helped preserve Salve Regina's lead.

The Hawks had one last shot with a penalty corner with 30 seconds left. Alex Coppinger (Guliderland, N.Y.) had a shot that was blocked followed by a Salve Regina defender clearing the ball in the closing seconds to secure the win.

Daly picked up the win, making eight saves in the game. Callie Flanagan (Wenham, Mass.) had nine stops for the Hawks.

Roger Williams (7-10, 4-7 CCC) will wrap up the regular season Friday against Gordon College on Senior Day. Salve Regina ends the regular season at 9-9 and 5-7 in the CCC and will await to see their seed in the CCC Tournament.