Fourth-straight shutout for Seahawks no consolation

NEWPORT, R.I. - After 110 minutes of close but not close enough, Salve Regina University men's soccer bid to repeat as Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) champions ended with a tie score (0-0) and Roger Williams University advances with its 3-0 score in the penalty kick shootout.

Seahawk sophomore Andrew Chenard (Kingston, Mass.) and freshman Evan Dudney (North Andover, Mass.) combined for eight shots on goal for the Seahawks but none went in. Daniel Caruso (Tewksbury, Mass.) led the Hawks with three shots on target but all were denied by Daniel Stern (Kings Park, N.Y.).

Roger Williams (14-4-2), ranked fifth in the latest NCAA regional poll, has not scored a goal since its 5-1 victory over Curry on October 23. The Hawks are 0-2-1 since then yet still advance in the conference championships, and will play at top-seeded Gordon College on Tuesday (1 p.m.).

Senior keeper Jon Pelloso (Wilbraham, Mass.), who made 14 saves in his first 110 minutes of work, continued his fine effort with two stops going to his left on first two penalty kicks from Salve Regina - junior co-captain Issa Demirgioglu (Smithfield, R.I.) and classmate Devin L'Heureux (Litchfield, N.H.).

Caruso initiated the penalty kick phase with a kick past Stern to the keeper's left. Stern was unable to get a piece of the ball as it buried into the back of the net. Demirgioglu's denial by Pelloso was followed by a grounder by junior Cooper Allebrand (Santa Barbara, Calif.) eluding Stern on the keeper's right.

L'Heureux tried to go to the same spot as Demirgioglu but Pelloso guessed correctly and squared up his gloved hands to block the attempt. Senior Rich Pomeroy (Groton, Mass.) made it three straight conversions for Roger Williams when he beat Stern again on the keeper's left.

Salve Regina (9-7-3) needed to convert all three of its remaining attempts while keeping the visitors out of the net. Sophomore back Joseph Pate (Smithfield, R.I.), a first-team all-conference pick by the league's coaches, kicked high to Pelloso's right and had the keeper off balance but the ball struck the cross bar without breaking the goal line.

The Seahawks finish undefeated against the Hawks in 2013, having bested the visitors earlier in the regular season, 2-1, on September 28.