Lady Knights Tally Twice but fall to No.1 Monroe
09.12.19
Ariana Douglas
Warwick, R.I. – September 12, 2019: The CCRI Lady Knights soccer team hosted the No. 1 ranked (NJCAA DI poll) Mustangs of Monroe College from New Rochelle, NY to the CCRI soccer complex in Lincoln for a home match on Wednesday. The Lady Knights fell to Monroe 12-2. With the loss CCRI falls to 1-1 on the season.
The Lady Knights were facing the top scoring team who had scored 37 goals in their first four games and the nation’s top scorer in Sydoney Clarke who came into the game with 13 goals and 3 assists. Making matters more difficult was the fact that Monroe had also only given up one goal on the season. The good news is that CCRI was able to tally two goals versus the soccer powerhouse from New York but the plethora of talent and athleticism of the multi-national Mustangs was just too much for the Lady Knights who ultimately succumbed to them 12-2.
Though the score line was one sides Lady Knights’ Goalkeeper Maddie Brassard (Pawtucket, RI) had a very good match making 14 saves in the match which included saving a penalty shot. Brassard was under attack all day but made many unbelievable saves for CCRI. Offensively for the Lady Knights sophomore Captain Ariana Douglas (East Greenwich, RI) scored her first goal of the season on a penalty shot in the 1st half. Douglas was aided by freshman Giulia Marsella (Warwick, RI) who scored her second goal in second match of the season.
The nation’s leading scorer Sydoney Clarke from Monroe as expected started the scoring for the game in the 15th minute when she tallied her first of three goals on the day to give Monroe a 1-0 lead. Clarke scored again in the 24th minute to give Monroe a 2-0 lead. Monroe would add three more to make it 5-0 Mustangs. In the 41st minute Lady Knights Captain Ariana Douglas converted a penalty kick to get the Lady Knights on the scoreboard as CCRI would go into the half trailing 5-1.
In the second half Monroe kept gaining momentum as the Lady Knights could not keep up with the unbelievable pace of the Mustangs. Monroe tallied seven more goals in the second half. However, Giulia Marsella tallied her second goal of the season to make CCRI the only team to tally two goals versus the Mustangs on the season which is no easy feat. It was a tough game for the Lady Knights but they showed tremendous grit and toughness to keep battling against a very formidable opponent.
Head Coach Jim McGirr commented after the match: “We knew we had an uphill battle on our hands with Monroe. They’re a quality side with the majority of their team composed of international players. Maddie Brassard was immense in the match, making 14 saves. It’s a credit to our team regarding their work ethic and drive they have to compete. Regardless of the score line, our players kept working resulting in a goal with 6 minutes left to play in the match.”
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The Community College of Rhode Island, New England's largest comprehensive community college, enrolls nearly 15,000 students in credit courses and thousands more in non-credit and job training classes. Its athletic program boasts 12 varsity programs and an academic support program for all student-athletes.