Birrell's 14th tally lifts Salve Regina past Anna Maria, 1-0

NEWPORT, R.I. - Freshman Kaitlyn Birrell (Hope, R.I.) scored her 14th goal of the season to lead the Salve Regina University women's soccer team to a 1-0 win over Anna Maria College in The Commonwealth Coast Conference (TCCC) action Wednesday afternoon at Reynolds Field.

The Seahawks (10-6-0, 7-4-0 TCCC) outshot the AMCats 36-3 and won for the third time in their last four contests. Freshman Tabitha Ruggeri (Sturbridge, Mass.) made 15 saves for Anna Maria, which fell to 2-14-0 (1-10-0 TCCC).

Birrell headed home a cross from the left side by sophomore Liz Galla (Beacon Falls, Conn.) at 30:08 for the game's only goal. The best scoring chance for the AMCats came with just over two minutes remaining in regulation, as a turnover by the Seahawk defense allowed sophomore Amanda Hevy (North Brookfield, Mass.) to walk in alone on Seahawk senior goalkeeper Katie Vaudrain (Pawtucket, R.I.). Hevy drilled a shot off the connector, and the rebound was gathered up by senior Maggie Sielawa (Webster, Mass.) and fired on goal from a sharp angle, and Vaudrain made the save to preserve the win.

"We had a lot of opportunities, and for the first time this season, we really had a hard time finding the back of the net," said Seahawk head coach Kerri Scroope. "We're going to move forward and learn from this. We're one game away from tying the school record for wins (11). A win is a win, and our kids should be proud."

The Seahawks held a 16-0 edge in corner kicks and were called for 15 fouls, compared to seven for Anna Maria. Birrell led the team with four shots on goal while Hevy registered two shots for AMC.

Salve Regina returns to action on Saturday when it hosts Eastern Nazarene at 1 p.m. Anna Maria hosts Western New England Saturday at noon.