BY TIM NOONAN // OCT. 2, 2016 //

On a rainy, cold Saturday night at Walter M. Katz Field, the girl’s soccer team lost a competitive game 2-1 to the Roger Williams Hawks.

Abby and Lily Roxo were able to make everyone forget about the rain for a couple minutes as the 9-year-old twins sang the National Anthem. The girls were diagnosed with a form of brain cancer months ago and met Coach Jason Tassinari’s daughter, Olivia, in the hospital. Every day they strive to get better.

The game on the field following the anthem started shortly after and it was all business from there.

Several Colonels were actively pursuing the ball and being aggressive around their opponents. Roger Williams eventually gained an advantage and unleashed a series of good shots on goal but senior goalie Morgan Stott made some athletic saves to keep the game scoreless.

With less than 20 minutes left in the first half, senior Kaitlyn Lima scored the game’s first goal thanks to an assist by junior Amanda Crisfulla. Six minutes later, the Colonels needed fresh legs on the field and called on freshman Megan Ladner to provide energy.

As the half neared a close, the Hawks got the ball near the Curry goal post and kicked in the goal past a diving Stott with only one second to play in the half.

The tie game went to the break where the Colonels presented the twins with a team gift and took pictures together in front of a largely appreciative crowd.

As the 2^nd half started, it was clear that Roger Williams was a different team than they were in the first half.

The hawks dominated the ball and put Stott to work. Unable to keep the ball out of their own zone, the Colonels’ fatigue became noticeable. Roger Williams smoothly passed the ball in between defenders and connected on a goal with under 15 minutes to play to gain a 2-1 lead.

Curry never said die, however, and Lima took the ball into the offensive zone but her shot missed wide with ten minutes to play. The Hawks got the ball back and nearly scored a third goal but the clock ran out and the 2-1 score went final.

After the game, Lima noted that the Colonels need to work to play a full game over the two halves. “We should have played to the end but we definitely learned something from this game, we got to play 45 minutes, you can’t just play 44 minutes and 59 seconds.”

Coach Tassinari echoed his forwards’ thoughts noting, “I thought we didn’t play our best soccer in the second half and we were not as good with the ball at our feet at times in the second half, I thought we were defending way too much and chasing them as opposed to possessing and being proactive.”

Change the Trend: Last year’s contest when the Colonels traveled to Roger Williams, Curry failed to record a goal and came away with a 6-0 loss. This year, the Colonels were able to lead the Hawks for about 30 minutes.

Lucky #7: Senior Kaitlyn Lima netted her seventh goal of the season, the most out of any Colonel.

Upcoming for the Colonels: In another CCC match up, the Colonels will host the University of New England Friday afternoon for a 4 p.m. kickoff.