PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth women's soccer team shouldered a tough 1-0 loss at Rhode Island College in Little East Conference action on Wednesday afternoon. The Corsairs dropped to a 2-4-1 mark in conference play while the Anchorwomen moved to a 4-2 Little East record on the season.
UMass Dartmouth were on the attack early in the conference tilt featuring a shot on frame by senior midfielder
Ashlyn Aguiar to force a stop by Anchorwomen goalkeeper Oceanna Orlandi. After a missed strike by Amber Almeida, the Corsairs fired six unanswered shots including four from first year forward
Natalie Frazier. Shortly after, Corsairs goalkeeper
Marina Cassano posted her second save of the afternoon to deny Caitlyn Terceiro in the 13
th minute of play.
Both teams continued to exchange shots midway through the opening half with senior captain
Antonella Goncalves rifling a strike on-goal that Orlandi was able to stop. UMass Dartmouth tacked on five late shots in the closing minutes of the half, but the game remained deadlocked at 0-0 heading into the break.
In the second half, Rhode Island snapped the scoreless drought thanks to a goal by Almeida in the 61
st minute of action to give the home squad a 1-0 edge. A few minutes later, first year midfielder
Rieanna Murray responded for the Corsairs with a shot on target that was saved by Orlandi. UMass Dartmouth continued to battle in the final minutes of the contest as Frazier and Aguiar recorded late shots, but the Anchorwomen held on to secure the 1-0 win from Alumni Stadium.
Despite the score, the Corsairs outshot the Anchorwomen 26-12 and held an 8-5 advantage in shots on-goal. UMass Dartmouth also won the corner kick battle with 10 in the contest compared to Rhode Island with just two corners in the afternoon.
Frazier led the Corsairs with nine strikes in the league tilt including two on target while Murray finished the game with 2-of-5 shots on frame. Aguiar also produced a pair of shots on-goal against the Anchorwomen after firing four shot attempts.
In net, Cassano shouldered the loss after recording four stops and allowing just one goal on the afternoon for UMass Dartmouth. Her counterpart registered eight stops in net to secure the shutout win for Rhode Island.
UMass Dartmouth travels to Worcester State University for their last non-conference game of the season on Saturday, October 25 slated for a 10:00 a.m. kickoff.
