Women's Soccer Outlasts Rhode Island College in Season Opener

Chris Kendrick (@CKendrick86)

CHICOPEE, Mass. – The Elms College women's soccer team rallied for a 3-2 win over visiting Rhode Island College Tuesday night at Leary Field. The Blazers improve to 1-0 on the season, while Rhode Island College drops to 0-1 to start the season.

The game opened to scoreless play over the first 30 minutes of play. In the 32^nd minute of play, the Blazers cracked the scoreboard as junior defender Kathleen Tuechler (Farmingdale, N.Y.) headed home a corner kick from sophomore midfielder Jackie Soucia (Belchertown, Mass.) to stake Elms to a 1-0 lead. Rhode Island College responded just over four minutes later as junior midfielder Chelsea Combs (Ashford, Conn.) found the back of the net off a pass from sophomore midfielder Brooke Morris (Lincoln, R.I.), knotting the contest at 1-1 heading into halftime.

In the 66^th minute, the Blazers regained the lead as sophomore forward Brie Voight (Springfield, Mass.) gathered a loose ball in front of the Anchorwomen goal, and ripped an unassisted tally past RIC freshman goalkeeper Katherine Healy (Hope, R.I.) to put Elms up 2-1. Rhode Island College quickly countered, drawing a foul inside the Blazers zone. On the ensuing free kick, Anchorwomen senior midfielder Gabrielle Turner (Smithfield, R.I.) curled a magnificent shot beyond the reach of Elms senior goalie Alexa Rinaudo (Bellmore, N.Y.) and into the far upper corner, making it a 2-2 game with 21:56 to play. In the 73^rd minute of play, the Blazers delivered the game-winning goal as Healy was unable to control a shot from Elms senior Michelle Rossignol (Manchester, Conn.) and the loose ball trickled to freshman midfielder Danielle Asklar (Berlin, Conn.), who tucked a her first career collegiate goal inside the left post, sending the Blazers to a 3-2 win.

The Blazers controlled the shot column during the match, 19-9, over Rhode Island College. Rinaudo made four saves for Elms, while Healy stopped a game-high 12 shots in the loss.

"It's always good to start with a win," said Elms Head Coach Sean Milbier. "I though the team played really well tonight. They came out and played very hard, but there's still a lot to work on. Getting the first goal was huge, we always preach that, and we were able to finally breakthrough. We always defend Leary [Field] well, we play well here, and I'm proud of the effort from the team tonight. The team's response to their goals was tremendous. Obviously, we don't like to give up a lead, especially twice, but to battle and get the win is a great way to start the season."

The Blazers return to the pitch Saturday, September 5^th against Albertus Magnus at Leary Field. Kickoff is slated for 1:00 p.m.

ELMS SOCCER