RIC Defeats Women's Soccer 4-3

Providence, RI - In a wild game that saw seven total goals, the shots that did not go in were just as important as the ones that did. Senior goalkeeper Maddie Pirri (Bristol, RI) turned away 11 shots, including a game-saving stop in the final two minutes, en route to a, 4-3, victory for the Rhode Island College women's soccer team over Framingham State in non-conference play held at the RIC Soccer Field on Tuesday afternoon.

Clinging to a one-goal lead with 1:33 remaining in regulation, Pirri was put to the test for a 14^th time. Senior midfielder Melissa Price (Norwood, MA) took a feed inside the box and got to within two yards of Pirri before offering a right-footed shot directly on goal. With only a split second to react, Pirri got her left foot in front of the ball, while falling backward, to stop the Rams' last in a series of strong scoring threats.

All of the Anchorwomen's offense came through stalwart junior forwards Alexis Smith (Wakefield, RI) and Ashley Choiniere (Hope, RI), who each scored two goals to propel Rhode Island College to its first win in four tries.  Smith's two helpers gave her six points for the day, while Choiniere's lone assist gave her a total of five points. With her second goal of the game, Smith tied the program record for goals in a season (13) set by Katie Hagan (1998) and equaled by Joan Hencler (1999). Choiniere's assist also tied a program record, for most assists in a season (10), set by Hencler in 1998.

The Anchorwomen got on the board quickly, just 5:08 into the contest. In a two-on-two situation, Choiniere split the defenders with a deadly accurate through ball to Smith, who dribbled left and tapped it into the corner of the net to take the early, 1-0, lead. Eight minutes later, Smith returned the favor by pushing out a long pass for Choiniere to chase. Breaking into a full sprint, Choiniere blew past a defender to claim the bounding ball, then sailed past freshman goalkeeper Kaitlyn Rossi (Pepperell, MA) to score before an empty net to double the lead.

Momentum swung to Framingham in the 30^th minute, when junior forward Kerry Kiley (Mansfield, MA) took advantage of a defensive miscue to score the Rams' first goal. With no defenders left to beat and a teammate flanking, Kiley came in from the right and crossed Pirri with a goal entering near the left post to create the eventual halftime score, 2-1. The Rams began the second half on the attack, peppering the net several times before sophomore forward Megan Gangell (Lee, MA) broke through with the equalizer in the 50^th minute, assisted by freshman defender Gianna Ditommaso (Charlton, MA).

The standstill lasted exactly 22 seconds.

Following a Framingham foul, Smith received a free kick opportunity from a few feet above the box. After senior defender Alicia Lardaro (Peace Dale, RI) came in as a decoy and tapped the ball, Smith delivered a long shot directly on net to regain the lead, 3-2.  Choiniere capped off the Anchorwomen's scoring in the 75^th minute, taking another feed from Smith and faking out a defender before scoring on a cross to the right side of the net. 

Choiniere's goal proved to be indispensable insurance in the 86^th minute after Ram freshman midfielder Marissa D'Angelo (Whitman, MA) scored unassisted on a shot that grazed the bottom of the crossbar and fell into the goal to create the, 4-3, final score. The Rams outshot the Anchorwomen, 29-22, and had two corner kick opportunities in the final minute.

In upcoming action, the Anchorwomen travel to Eastern Connecticut to take on the Warriors in a Little East Conference matchup on Saturday, Oct. 16 at 1 p.m., while the Rams host Bridgewater State on Saturday at 10 a.m.

Release courtesy of RIC Sports Information.