The 12th ranked (NJCAA and NSCAA Division I national polls) CCRI women’s soccer team defeated region rival Dean College 9-0 yesterday in Franklin, MA. It didn’t take long for the Lady Knights to get rolling as freshman Rebekka Costa (Warwick, RI) scored her first of two goals on the day on a nice pass from freshman Ashley Maisano (Bristol, RI) just 2 ½ minutes into the contest. Costa scored again off of two nice passes on a double assist from Maisano and sophomore Co-Captain Stephanie Grassini (Warwick, RI) just 10 minutes later to give the knights a 2-0 advantage. In the 26th minute of play freshman Jessica Collinson (West Greenwich, RI) scored her team leading seventh goal of the season on an assist from sophomore Co-Captain Jill DeLuca (West Warwick, RI). Less than two minutes later DeLuca scored her fifth goal of the season on another nice “double assist” play from Stephanie Grassini and Ashley Maisano. Freshman Jessica Foss (East Providence, RI) scored on a pass from Jessica Collinson with about 15 minutes remaining in the half to give the Lady Knights a commanding 5-0 halftime lead.

In the second half Jill DeLuca (West Warwick, RI) scored just 10 minutes in on another nice assist from her Co-Captain and All-American Stephanie Grassini who now leads the team in assists with nine on the season. About fifteen minutes later, freshman Jenny Baldwin (Lincoln, RI) scored two goals in a two minute span to give the Lady Knights an 8-0 commanding advantage. Freshman Nicole Kufel (Oradell, NJ) assisted on one of the Baldwin goals. In the 70th minute Ashley Maisano scored off of an assist from Jenny Baldwin to round out the scoring for the day. The Knights just passed the ball around a very tired and disoriented Dean team for the rest of the game.

Freshmen goalkeeper Samantha Danielson (Pascoag, RI) recorded her third win of the season and her second shutout victory as she preserved the shutout with a beautiful breakaway save in the first half of play. Coach Grassini and Coach Bannan were quite pleased with the victory and the very diverse scoring that they have been receiving from the team. Rebekka Costa, Jill DeLuca, and Jenny Baldwin each had two goals on the day while Ashley Maisano had a fine outing scoring one goal and assisting on three others. Stephanie Grassini had another fine day contributing with three assists on the day. Once again the defensive corps of fullbacks Domenica Barsoian (Greenville, RI) and Taylor Barbosa (Fall river, MA), stopper Danielle Cartier (Lincoln, RI), and sweeper Desiree Hodge (West Warwick, RI) were rock solid!

The Lady Knights who play in the NJCAA Division I will travel to Springfield, MA tomorrow to take on a very tough and 8th ranked NJCAA Division III rival in Springfield Technical Community College at 1:00pm. On Sunday the Lady Knights will take on Hesser College at Home at 12:00pm in Lincoln.

Lady Knights Leap over Lesley 30-16, 30-7, and 30-22 to Improve Record to 10-7

The CCRI Lady Knights volleyball team defeated the Lynx of Lesley University JV 30-16, 30-7, 30-22. With the victory the Lady Knights improve their record to 10-7 on the season.

The Lady Knights Tuesday practice featured a long and intense session regarding focus and intensity seemed to pay off big time. The extra attention was needed could play at peak performance. In addition, the Lady Knights playing without one of their Co-Captains Katie Fleming (Riverside, RI) with injury and key contributor Tia Becker (Providence, RI) for personal reasons.

Despite arriving to Lesley late due to traffic and warming up through the first game the Lady Knights were able to dominate the Lynx for the rest of the night. The Lady Knights played almost error free ball in the second game. Everyone played in the third game and all contributed. The Lady Knights defense was so good that they did not get as many offensive opportunities as usual.

Co-Captain Ashley Markley (Preston, CT) led the Lady Knights with 23 assists, six digs, two blocks, five aces, and a kill. Also contributing for the Lady Knights was Jen Humphrey (Warwick, RI) with nine kills, five blocks, three digs, and four aces and Stephanie Marquez (Warwick, RI) added seven digs, five kills, two assists, four blocks, and an ace. It was a total team victory with every Lady Knight offensive player having at least one kill.

Head Coach Ray DeAngelis said: “This was a nice feel good win before we head off to play the Division II powerhouses this weekend at the Genesee Tournament.”

Knights Outshoot but Lose 1-0 to Undefeated #9 ranked Massasoit CC

The CCRI Knights men's soccer team traveled to Region XXI nemesis and #9 ranked (NJCAA) Warriors of Massasoit CC looking to rebound from defeat at the hands of # 10 Monroe CC on Saturday. The Knights fought hard and outplayed the Warriors for most of the game, but came up short losing 1-0. With the loss the Knights’ record falls to 2-5 on the season.

The Knights once again showed signs of their potential but gave up the only goal of the game by Alex Landim in the 35th minute of the first half. The Knights actually played a better second half and fought right to the end, but with no results. Corey Rocha (Riverside, RI) was only tested a few times but answered well with some excellent saves in goal.

Head Coach Victor Gaspar said “We needed to put it all together to beat a team like undefeated Massasoit. For the most part we did. If we continue to play at this level, the positive results will follow.”

The Knights next game will be Wednesday October 3 at Dean College at 4:00pm.

Lady Knights win one but lose two at Cobleskill Tournament record now 9-7

The CCRI Lady Knights women’s volleyball team defeated Fulton-Montgomery 30-17 and 30-24 but lost to Monroe CC 30-18, 24-30, and 12-15, and Mohawk Valley CC 29-31 and 26-30. With the win and losses the Lady Knights record falls to 9-7 on the season.

The Lady Knights were extremely short handed with two starters out with injury, including Co-Captain Katie Fleming (Riverside, RI) and two more under the weather the lady Knights just could not keep a sustained effort going all day. Co-Captain Ashley Markley (Preston, CT) led the Lady Knights with 58 assists, 21 digs, eight kills, four blocks and four aces followed by sophomore Jen Humphrey with 28 kills, 23 digs, 10 blocks and three aces. The two sophomores did all they could as did the rest of the Lady Knights, but between the injuries and the illness the Lady Knights just could not get it done this weekend.

Head Coach Ray DeAngelis said: “Even with the two losses I was proud of the effort the kids put out. I was very pleased with the way everybody rallied around the players who were in new positions or playing for the first time.”

The Lady Knights next match will be Tuesday the 25th when they travel to play at Lesley University at 7:30pm.

Lady Knights Rebound, Beat Bryant & Stratton 4-2

Less than 24 hours after suffering a devastating loss to powerhouse Monroe CC 6-0, the CCRI women’s soccer team traveled to Syracuse, NY to face off against the unbeaten (3-0) Bryant & Stratton College Bobcat’s. As the game began the Lady Knights looked tired, sluggish, and completely out of sync from the previous days match. It didn’t take the Bobcat’s long to capitalize either as they scored right away in just the third minute of play. Veronica Leon scored off of a rebound of a beautiful breakaway save made by the Lady Knights goalkeeper Samantha Danielson (Burrillville, RI). Six minutes later, Sophomore Co-Captain Stephanie Grassini (Warwick, RI) scored a beautiful goal low and along the ground to the far corner of the net on a nice pass from freshman Ashley Maisano (Bristol, RI). With five minutes left in the half the Bobcat’s Veronica Leon scored her second goal of the contest on a broken play out in front of the Knights goal.

After the halftime break and a strong reprimand by Head Coach Dennis Grassini, the Lady Knights came out in the second half looking like their old selves scoring three unanswered goals. Sophomore Co-Captain Jill DeLuca (West Warwick, RI) stole the ball right off of a goal kick by Bryant & Stratton in the first 25 seconds of play to tie the score at 2-2. According to Coach Grassini, “Jill put up a great shot from 25 yards out right into the top corner. The ball was well placed and Jill just had a lot of power on the shot. The keeper had no chance on it”. “That goal really got our team pumped up!”

Less than five minutes later Freshmen Ashley Maisano (Bristol, RI) scored off of a nice pass from Stephanie Grassini (Warwick, RI) to put the Lady Knights up 3-2 as they never looked back. Jill DeLuca scored her second goal of the game unassisted with just 13 minutes remaining in the contest to put the game away as she placed another well struck ball into the back of the Bobcat’s net. The Lady Knights defense really showed their stuff in the second half as they completely shut down Bryant & Stratton in the second half. Freshman Goalkeeper Samantha Danielson (Burrillville, RI) played well and recorded her second win of the season. Jill DeLuca scored twice and Stephanie Grassini and Ashley Maisano each had a goal and an assist on the day.

Coach Grassini said “I’m very proud of the way our team really dug down deep to secure today’s win” “They were all very tired and sore from the previous day’s match at Monroe.” They never gave up, kept their composure throughout the match, and took care of business when they really had to!

The Lady Knight’s next match is an important Regional game at Dean College this Thursday in Franklin, MA at 4:00pm.

Lady Knights Suffer First Loss Against #2 Monroe CC

The ninth ranked CCRI women’s soccer team suffered their first loss of the young season as they were blanked 6-0 by the very tough second ranked Monroe CC Lady Tribunes. It didn’t take Monroe long to get started as they scored the first goal of the contest in the 13th minute as Casey Reinhardt scored off of a nice through ball pass. The Lady Knights held off the powerful Monroe attack throughout most of the first half until the 35th minute when the Lady Tribunes capitalized on another opportunity to make the score 2-0 at the half.

In the second half the Knights tried to regroup but just nine minutes into the half the ball went in the net off of a CCRI defender (“Own goal”) to give Monroe a commanding 3-0 lead. The Lady Knights could not seem to get on track as Monroe dominated the contest scoring three more goals in the final 13 minutes of the contest. Lindsey Cote scored in the 13th minute and Freshman Victoria Begy who had three goals on the day for the Tribunes scored the final two goals of the contest in the last nine minutes with the final one coming with just eight seconds left to play. CCRI sustained a few key injuries as sweeper Desiree Hodge (West Warwick, RI) was knocked out of the contest half way through the first half with a shoulder injury and did not return to the line up. That forced the Knights into some position shuffling that really seemed to put them out of sync.

Head Coach Dennis Grassini said “Monroe is always very talented and very tough, especially at home. I know we are a better team than the score indicates and we’ll probably see them again in early November on our home field in the district playoffs”. “We’ll regroup and learn from this loss and take it from there”.

Knights fall to very tough Tribunes Squad 7-1

The CCRI Knights men's soccer team traveled to Rochester to play 15th ranked (NSCAA/NJCAA) Monroe CC Tribunes. It was trip full of high expectations however the Knights suffered a crushing defeat, 7-1. With the loss the Knights’ record drops to 2-4 on the season.

The Knights had a difficult time matching up with the Tribune's intense attack and by halftime were down 2-0 and still within reach of a good result. But, in the first minute of the second half, CCRI suffered the 3rd goal and struggled for the rest of the game, losing by a final of 7-1.

On a bright note for the Knights Paul Wilson (Pawtucket, RI) scored the only goal for the Knights on an assist from Nick Mante (Central Falls, RI).

The Knights needed to put together a good blend of defensive and attacking play. Unfortunately this was not their day. The Knights look to get back on the winning track against another very tough team in Region XXI rival Massasoit CC, Tuesday in Brockton at 3:30pm. Look for the Knight's performance to improve.

Knights Sylvestre finishes second at Ray Dwyer Invitational

James Sylvestre (Lincoln, RI) covered the 5.3 mile Goddard Park course in 30:30 for a fine 2nd place finish. Sylvestre ran a nice balanced race and was only beat by Junior Brian Stewart from Bridgewater state College who covered the course in 30:10. Also on the men’s side for the Knights Kevin Mann (West Warwick, RI), running in his first college race, finished in 38th place and ran the 5.3 mile course in 39:44. Having only two male runners, the Knights ran as an incomplete team. The meet was won by Coast Guard with 33 points.

The CCRI Lady Knight runners did well led by Captain Kristin Vanhouwe (North Smithfield, RI) who placed 24th in a time of 23:31 and Michele Finnel (Providence, RI) ran 24:56 for 33rd place. In addition, freshman Katie Clukey (Smithfield, RI) improved on her time from last week finishing the 5k course in 27:43 which was good for 38th place. The Lady Knights with only three runners also ran with an incomplete team. The winning team was Coast Guard with 25 points.

The Knights’ next meet will be Saturday the 29th when they will host in the Tri-State Invitational at the CCRI Flanagan Campus in Lincoln starting at 9:30am.

Lady Knights Win in Convincing Fashion

The CCRI Lady Knights improved to 8-5 on the season with a convincing victory over the Yellow Jackets of American International College (AIC). The Lady Knights beat the AIC JV team in convincing fashion winning the best of 5 match in three sets (30-25, 30-22, 30-16).

The Lady Knights and Yellow Jackets battled back in forth in the first match. The two team exchanged points most of the way with no one leading by more then two points. The match was tied at 21 all when the Lady Knights were led by their sophomore captain Catherine Fleming (Riverside, RI) and rallied of a 9 to 4 run to win the first set.

The second set of the match was equally close once again the Lady Knights were able to pull away at the end for a 30-22 victory. This set was a difficult set for the Lady Knights because when the score was tied at 13 the Lady Knights lost there star captain in Fleming to an injury.

In the third set of the match the Lady Knights rallied around there injured captain to dominate the AIC Yellow Jackets by winning the set 30-16. Numerous players step in Fleming’s absents freshman Amanda Valentine (West Warwick, RI) and sophomore Jen Humphrey (Coventry, RI) picked up the hitting. Valentine end the three sets with 17 kills, seven blocks and nine digs while Humphrey had 17 kills, six blocks, five aces and seven digs. Ashley Markley (Preston, CT) had another solid effort as setter for the Lady Knights by dishing out 28 assists.

The Lady Knights are back in action this weekend when they travel to play in SUNY Cobleskill Tournament which starts on Saturday.

Lady Knights Score Six to Down Springfield College JV 6-0 Record now 3-0!

The ninth (9th) ranked (NJCAA) CCRI women’s soccer team continued their winning ways yesterday by downing Springfield College JV 6-0 in their 2007 home opener at the Lincoln Campus. The Lady Knights were led by freshmen Jessica Collinson (West Kingston, RI) and Jenny Baldwin (Manville, RI) who each scored two goals.

Freshman Nicole Kufel (Oradell, NJ) opened the scoring on an unassisted goal in the first five minutes of play by sending a rocket shot from approximately 20 yards out into the top left corner of the net. Twenty minutes later freshmen Jenny Baldwin scored back to back goals within a nine minute span to end the half at 3-0. Baldwin made two beautifully placed shots low and to the corner of the net to notch her second and third goals of the young season. Freshman Danielle Cartier (Lincoln, RI) assisted on both of Baldwin’s goals.

In the second half freshman Jessica Collinson (West Kingston, RI) also scored back to back goals in the first seventeen minutes of play. Her first goal was assisted by freshman Desiree Hodge (West Warwick, RI). Collinson now has six goals for the Lady Knight for twelve points for the team scoring lead. Freshman Jessica Foss (East Providence, RI) notched her first goal of the season on an assist from freshman Kerry McGonagle (Norfolk, MA) in the thirty ninth minute to round out the scoring for the afternoon.

The Lady Knights’ goalkeeping corps of Ryan Wigfall (East Providence, RI) and Megan Belmont (Pawtucket, RI) were never tested throughout the entire match. The all-freshmen defensive backfield of Taylor Barbosa (Fall River, MA), Desiree Hodge, Nicole Kufel, and Danielle Cartier were once again flawless as the Knights have yet to give up a goal in their first three contests of the season.

The Lady Knights travel Friday to Rochester, NY for an important match with Monroe Community College, the number two ranked team in the nation (NJCAA/NSCAA) on Saturday at 11:30am. On Sunday the Lady Knights will travel to Syracuse, NY to play Bryant & Stratton College at 12:00pm.

Knights fall to Manchester CC 2-0

The CCRI Knights men’s soccer was defeated by Region XXI powerhouse Manchester CC 2-0. With the loss the Knights record drops to 2-3 on the season.

The CCRI Knights Men's Soccer team was hoping to build on Saturday's win versus Holyoke and played an excellent first half against a very good Manchester team. But, in the end it was Manchester beating the Knights 2-0.

The Knights started the game very well and created some excellent scoring opportunities early, but failed to connect keeping the score tied at 0-0. Manchester scored the first goal of the game in the 24th minute of the first half on a goal from Paul Meucci. At this point the game got very exciting with the Knights creating chances for the equalizer and Manchester pressing for their second goal. But, in the second half, in the 26th minute, Manchester benefited from an unfortunate CCRI "own goal" to make the score 2-0, a lead that the Knights could not overcome. The Knights played some of their best soccer of the season but had no goals to show for their performance.

The Knights will travel Rochester, NY this weekend to play 13th ranked (NJCAA) Monroe CC at 2:00pm.

CCRI’s Nsiewe and Noah to represent Cameroon in FIBA Africa Championship for Women in Senegal

Current Lady Knights basketball player Guylene Nsiewe (Doula, Cameroon, Africa) and former Lady Knights standout Babette Noah (Yaounde, Cameroon, Africa), who was also a member of the 2006-07 Southern Connecticut Owls Division II national championship team, have been selected to represent their country, Cameroon, FIBA Africa Championship for Women in Dakar, Senegal, Africa. Nsiewe and Noah will be leading their country in their quest to qualify for the 2008 Olympics in China.

The FIBA Africa Championship for Women will be held September 21st-30th in Dakar, Senegal, Africa. Nsiewe and Noah will have little time to prepare as they were invited to play on September 13th and are flying out of the Country on Tuesday the 18th. Both young ladies will return to the states on Monday, October 1.

When reached for comment Head women’s basketball Head Coach Marcus Reilly said: "The women's basketball staff and team wish Guylene well on this prestigious opportunity to represent her native country of Cameroon. I am also very excited to have her and former CCRI women's basketball stand-out Babette Noah represent CCRI in a positive manner on this international stage. It is these types of achievements that highlight what our program does in the classroom and on the court in continually developing a global network for our graduates and current student athletes."

Lady Knights Spike Suffolk CC and Neutralize Nassau CC to improve record to 7-5

The CCRI Lady Knights Volleyball team defeated Suffolk County College 30-21, 22-30, 30-22, and 30-17 then Nassau CC 30-21, 30-13, and 30-17 in their Home Openers. With the victories the Lady Knights improve their record to 7-5 on the season.

CCRI defeats Suffolk County College 30-21, 22-30, 30-22, and 30-17

The Lady Knights were led by Jen Humphrey (Coventry, RI) with 12 kills, nine digs, five blocks, and three aces, Co-Captain Ashley Markley (Preston, CT) with an impressive 29 assists, eight digs, five kills, two blocks and two aces, and Stephanie Marquez (Warwick, RI) who contributed 22 digs, six kills, four aces, two blocks, and two assists.

Head coach Ray DeAngelis said: “Our players were able to refocus after the second game loss and came out and put together two very well played games to take the match from a very good and much taller team.”

CCRI defeats Nassau CC 30-21, 30-13, and 30-17

The Lady Knights were able to continue to feed on their success in the earlier match and took control from the start of their second match and never were threatened. Amanda Valentine (West Warwick, RI) took control of the net with 13 kills, seven blocks and nine digs, Co-Captain Katie Fleming (Riverside, RI) had a great all around match with 12 digs, nine kills, two blocks and three kills. Also contributing for the Lady Knights was Co-Captain Ashley Markley (Preston, CT) continued to set the pace, distributing 27 assists, with 11digs, two kills and an ace, Tia Becker (Providence, RI) had 12 digs, nine assists, seven kills, three aces and a block, and Jen Humphrey (Coventry, RI) added 10 digs, five kills, five blocks, and three aces.

Coach Ray DeAngelis said: “This was a very solid team performance. Something we can build on for the rest of the season.”

The Lady Knights next match will be Thursday the 20th when they will host American International University JV at 7:00pm.

Go Lady Knights!!!

Lady Knights Women’s Soccer Team Raises Funds for “Make a Wish”      Click here for snapshots of the day

The Nationally ranked CCRI women’s soccer team (11th NSCAA 13th NJCAA) participated in a “Wish Walk” for the Rhode Chapter of the “Make-A-Wish” Foundation on Sunday, September 16, 2007 at Lincoln Woods. All twenty-one (21) student-athletes and their two coaches, Head Coach Dennis Grassini and Associate Head Coach Kathy Bannan participated.

The team raised in excess of $700.00 for this cause that grants a wish for children with life-threatening medical conditions. The CCRI coaches have always tried to teach their student-athletes to give something back to the community. Their participation in this event was somewhat special as the walk was in memory of Jack Mackin III, son of one of CCRI’s own security officers Jack Mackin. Coach Bannan who works on the Lincoln Campus and sees Jack on a daily basis stated that “Jack is just a great person who is always willing to help you out in any way that he can”. Coach Grassini reiterated Coach Bannan’s statement by saying that “Jack is always smiling and always very accommodating to all”. “We have always wanted to do something of this nature and our soccer schedule for this particular weekend worked out perfectly as we had no games scheduled”. “Coach Bannan and I believe that it is important to teach our student-athletes the significance of helping others who might be less fortunate in some way and giving something back to those in need” said Head Coach Dennis Grassini.

The women’s soccer coaches would like to continue to participate each year with their team and they would like to ask that all of the other CCRI coaches and their student-athletes consider participating next year as well.

Knights Handle Holyoke 2-0 in Home Opener to improve record to 2-2

The CCRI Knights Men’s Soccer team defeated the Cougars of Holyoke CC 2-0. With the victory the Knights improve their record to 2-2 on the season.

The CCRI Men's Soccer team defeated Holyoke 2-0 in their Home Opener, after having played their first three games on the road. The weather promised rain and rain it did. But in the second half that the sun came out, and so did the Knights offense. The Knights scored two goals to take the win 2-0.

The Knights were held scoreless in the first half by a well organized Holyoke team. At about the 10th minute of the second half Fernando Vitorino (West Warwick, RI) scored, after a nice play sequence initiated by Co-Captain Mario Cidade (West Warwick, RI) and Paul Wilson (Pawtucket, RI). With five minutes to go Travis Fraser (Blackstone, MA) iced the game, when he stole the ball from the Cougars defense, beat the keeper and tucked the ball into the back of the net. Knights Keeper Corey Rocha (Riverside, RI) recorded his and the Knight’s first shutout of the season.

Coach Victor Gaspar said: “We had some very good moments in this game and are showing signs of better offensive play.”

The Knights next game will be at home this Tuesday against Manchester CC 3:30pm probably the best region XXI in 2006

Knights Cross Country runners run well in first Meet of the Season

Coach Greg Cornell took his CCRI Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Team to North Dartmouth, MA on Saturday to compete in there first meets of the season. The Knights had four participants compete in the UMASS Dartmouth “Shiners” Cross Country Invitation.

The CCRI Lady Knights had three runners compete in their first race of the season. The Lady Knights got the best out of Captain Kristen Vanhouwe (North Smithfield, RI) who ran her best 5K (3.1 miles) time of 22:03 which was good enough for 68th place. Vanhouwe was closely followed by fellow Lady Knight Michele Finnel (Providence, RI) who crossed the finish line in 79th place with a time of 22:24. Rounding out the team for the Lady Knights was Katie Clukey (Smithfield, RI) who finished with a time of 27:46 which was good enough for 162nd place. The ladies race had a total of 174 participants.

James Sylvestre (Lincoln, RI) was the only runner for the Knights men’s team. Sylvestre finished the five mile race with a time of 27:13 which placed him in 31st out 160 runners. James’ time of 27:13 was the fastest time ever for a CCRI runner at the UMASS Dartmouth Course.

The CCRI Cross Country teams are back in action this Saturday September 22nd at 9:30am at Goddard Park in the Ray Dwyer Invitational Race.

Knights Edged by Dean in Double Overtime 2-1

The CCRI Knights men’s soccer team traveled to Region XXI rival Dean College for a very important interdivision match-up. The Knights battled tough on the Bulldogs home field unfortunately they came up short losing 2-1 in double overtime. With the loss the Knights record drops to 1-2 on the season.

The game was evenly contested throughout, but it was Dean that scored first at the in the 20th minute of the first half, on a penalty shot by Jamie Phillips. It did not take long for the Knights to get the equalizer, as Travis Fraser (Blackstone, MA) put one into the top corner of the net on a beautiful assist from Fernando Vitorino (West Warwick, RI). Regulation time finished tied 1-1.

In overtime CCRI outplayed Dean, particularly in the first period, but could not convert opportunities into goals. Though the Knights fought hard, it was Dean’s David DeMelo that scored the golden goal with five minutes to go, in the second sudden death period. This was a tough loss for the Knights in their first Division I Region XXI opponent. With three games left in the division (I) CCRI will need to improve their play if they want to see the post-season.

Head Coach Victor Gaspar said: “The Knights are playing well defensively, but thus far have not been able to create enough offensive scoring opportunities.”

The Knights next game will be their Home Opener this Saturday the 15th against Holyoke CC at 1:00pm at the CCRI Flanagan Campus in Lincoln.

Lady Knights cruise past Massasoit CC 7-0

The 11th ranked (NSCAA) CCRI women’s soccer team defeated Massasoit CC yesterday 7-0. The Lady Knights were led by sophomore Co-Captains Jill DeLuca (West Warwick, RI) and Stephanie Grassini (Warwick, RI) as they each registered one goal and two assists on the day. Freshman Jessica Collinson (West Kingston, RI) also scored two goals for the Knights. Collinson now leads the Lady Knights in goals scored with four while Stephanie Grassini leads the team overall with two goals and five assists for nine overall total points.

The Lady Knights took a commanding 4-0 halftime lead on goals by Jill DeLuca (West Warwick, RI), Jessica Collinson (West Kingston, RI), Amy Torres (Warwick, RI), and Monique Grant (Hope, RI). In the second half CCRI picked up right where they left off when sophomore Co-Captain Stephanie Grassini headed the ball in to the net from a shot that blasted off of the crossbar. Jessica Collinson scored her second goal of the match on a nice pass from Grassini. Stephanie crossed the ball along the ground right through the goal crease where the unmarked Collinson tapped the ball into the net at the far post. Freshman Nicole Kufel (Oradell, NJ) tallied her first goal of the season and the first of her career on a nice pass from Co-Captain Jill DeLuca in the 41st minute of the second half.

The all freshmen defensive corps of Desiree Hodge (West Warwick, RI), Taylor Barbosa (Fall River, MA), Danielle Cartier (Manville, RI), and Domenica Barsoian (Smithfield, RI) were once again outstanding as goalkeeper Samantha Danielson (Burrillville, RI) only had to make one save to preserve the shutout victory.

The Lady Knights have yet to relinquish a goal in the two games played thus far in the young season while outscoring their opponents 14-0! CCRI is now ranked 11th in the nation in the NSCAA poll and 13th in the NJCAA poll.

Their next game, the home opener, is Wednesday, September 19th against Springfield College JV at 4:00pm.

Lady Knights Down Dean to improve record to 5-5

The CCRI Lady Knights Volleyball Team defeated Region XXI rival Dean College 30-17, 30-11, and 30-12. With the victory the Lady Knights improve their record to 5-5 on the season.

CCRI defeats Dean College 30-17, 30-11, and 30-12

The entire Lady Knights team contributed to this important Region XXI win. The Lady Knights were led by Co-Captain Setter Ashley Markley (Preston, CT) who distributed 27 assists, five kills, three digs, five aces and a block followed by Co-Captain Katie Fleming (Riverside, RI) who had five kills, four digs, two blocks, two assist and an ace while Amanda Valentine (West Warwick, RI) added eight kills, Fleming and Valentine amassed their numbers in just two games. Also contributing for the Lady Knights, getting extended playing, time were Ashley Mangione (Warwick, RI) with eight digs, five aces, and two kills, Jessica Greene (Warwick, RI) with fiver kills and three blocks, and Shondelle Perry (West Warwick, RI) added three blocks and one kill.

Head coach Ray DeAngelis said: “We worked very hard in practice Tuesday to work on some fundamentals, especially serving. It was nice to see the team respond well and serve 93% in this important regional match.”

The Lady Knights next matches will be in their home opener this Saturday when they will host Suffolk County CC and Nassau CC the matches begin at 10:00am.