Tag: women’s soccer

Curry Drops Points on Homecoming

BY GIANCARLO ORSINI // Oct. 21, 2017 //

The Curry women’s soccer team gave up an early goal that turned out to be decisive at full time.

The visiting Golden Bears of Western New England University interrupted the Homecoming Weekend celebrations on Friday night. An early surge gave them the advantage just 17 minutes into the contest as midfielder Kaeli Serafino knocked one past Curry goaltender Kristen Buzzotta for a 1-0 lead that would never change.

“We started off slow,” said Curry assistant coach Kaitlin Lima. “We weren’t clinical in the final third of the field and didn’t generate enough scoring opportunities.”

To be sure, the WNU dominated the opening 25 minutes as the Golden Bears made several personnel changes to keep their momentum. Curry had chanced to level the game, but couldn’t connect on their final passes.

The Colonels started the second half with greater precision. Curry had four consecutive shots in 13 minutes, led by Tayla Randall and Arianna Viscione, but couldn’t find the back of the net. Western New England goaltender Alex Lemekha made 6 saves on the night. Curry outshot Western New England 12-9.

It was yet another conference defeat for the Colonels, who dropped to 1-5-2 in Commonwealth Coast Conference action and 8-7-3 overall.

“It’s not how we pictured our last home game to turn out,” said Viscione, a senior. “We expect more from ourselves and are disappointed to lose another conference game.”

The Golden Bears moved to 9-6-2 (7-1 in conference). Curry will return to the pitch for the last time this regular season at Wentworth on Tuesday night.

  • Curry sits at 8th place in the CCC standings. A win on Tuesday could push the team to 7th.
  • Curry has lost four of its last five games.
  • To make playoffs, the Colonels must win Tuesday to stay atop Nichols and Eastern Nazarene.

 

Women’s Soccer Absorbs 4-0 Loss to First-Place Endicott

BY STEVEN SOUSA // Oct. 14, 2017//

Endicott’s overwhelming offensive attack proved to be too much for the women’s soccer team Saturday afternoon, as final score registered 4-0 in favor of the first-place Gulls.

Much of the first half was spent in the Colonels’ own side of the field and initially didn’t result in a lot of goals. But they were clearly playing with fire.

Endicott broke the tie in the 37th minute when forward Samantha Lello tapped in a rebound for a score, but it didn’t come without controversy.  Gull defenseman Shannon Hickey took a corner kick that bounced off the hands of Curry’s goalkeeper, Haley Rice, and Lello was able to clean up.

Colonels head coach Jason Tassinari felt the call could have easily gone the other way and he let the referee know.

“With the way college officials protect the goalkeepers, I thought that the referee could have blown a quick whistle thinking that maybe the ball was close to her fingers where one finger is technically considered possession,” said Tassinari.  “If we go into halftime 0-0, maybe it’s a different game in the second half.”

The second half was more of the same for Curry but this time, Endicott converted many more opportunities.

The Gulls erupted for three goals in an eight-minute span. The Colonels, who averaged over 18 shots per game heading into the contest, could only muster four on the afternoon, compared to Endicott’s 22.

Tassinari said that the defensive scheme they deployed combined with the skill of the Gulls; it was no surprise that the possession battle turned out in Endicott’s favor, but Curry wasn’t totally without chances.

“We had self-inflicted wounds,” Tassinari explained. “We had chances to attack, chances to play in the offensive third but our own technical skill let us down, we weren’t attacking with that intensity level.”

The loss puts the Colonels at 8-5-3 on the season, but 1-3-2 within the Commonwealth Coast Conference, placing them at 6th.  Their last two losses came against the top two teams in the CCC in Endicott and Roger Williams.

Next up for the Colonels are three “very winnable” games according to Tassinari.  They will need to win out in order to host a home playoff game.

Curry heads to Biddeford, ME on Wednesday to face the eighth-place University of New England Nor’easters, who are 1-4-1 in the conference.

Women’s Soccer Finishes in a Double-OT Draw Against Framingham State

BY JASON POMBO // Oct. 5, 2017 //

The Curry College women’s soccer team tied in double overtime, against non-conference opponent Framingham State on Wednesday with impressive performances from two sophomore goalkeepers.

The Colonels headed into the game coming off of a 5-0 defeat by conference opponent Gordon College. Curry knew they had to start the game off with quick and efficient offense. Freshman forward Tayla Randall put the Colonels up with a goal four minutes into the first half. It was the lone goal for both sides going into halftime. Curry outshot the Rams 5-3 in the first half.

Framingham State came out for the second half on fire, determined to even up the score. The Rams tied up the score in the 67th minutes when junior midfielder Kayla Almstrom knotted the game with an unassisted goal.

With about 11 minutes in regulation, Colonels head coach Jason Tassinari made a pivotal and surprising substitution. Sophomore Haley Rice entered the game in net as she replaced sophomore Kristen Buzzotta who had only allowed one goal in the game.

Regulation ended, and the game was still locked at one apiece. The Colonels dominated the two overtime periods, but were not able to capitalize on their opportunities. Curry outshot Framingham State 6-1 in the two overtime periods. The game ended in a draw which did not please Tassinari.

“We didn’t beat an inferior team… we felt we were the better team, we gave one away,”
Tassinari said. He was very displeased about his team only scoring 1 goal against this
Framingham State team. Tassinari added, “They scored a soft goal on us, that was certainly preventable.”

The tie moved the Colonels to a 7-3-3 regular season record while the Framingham State Rams moved to 2-7-1.

The Colonels return to action on Saturday, Oct. 7, as they take on conference rival Endicott College. The game is scheduled for a 5:30 p.m. start at Walter M. Katz Field.

The game on Saturday will be in conjunction with Olivia Strong and Strong 4 Abby Night.

Women’s Soccer Finishes With Double OT Draw Against Nichols College

BY MATT EVANS // SEPTEMBER 25, 2017 //

The Colonels battled inconsistent refereeing en route to a 1-1 double overtime draw with conference opponent Nichols College on Saturday night. Colonels goalkeeper Hayley Rice saved the game after a questionable penalty in the 108th minute to keep the draw intact.

The opening goal in the match came off of a superb cross from forward Tayla Randall to forward Karinna Tsonis who tapped it in during the 12th minute. Afterwards Tsonis called the goal a “gift” and singled out the freshman Randall for setting up the score.

“Our freshman Tayla Randall, she did a lot of the work. She got the ball over to me so I give her a lot more credit than I think I deserve,” said Tsonis.

The lead lasted up until the 59th minute when Bison forward Taylor Souza struck from about ten yards out. Midfielder Lauren Macgray set up the goal with a brilliant through-pass that found a streaking Souza all alone on the right side of the box for an easy score.

The remainder of regulation featured the Colonels staying afloat amid multiple controversial calls. Three straight corners were awarded to the Bison around the 85th minute, only two of which were warranted. The third clearly went off a Nichols forward who was all alone on the left side of the box but the referee elected to award a corner instead of a goal kick.

Tsonis later confirmed that she felt the referee was inconsistent throughout the night.

“Yeah, he had a bit of a tough time out there tonight… Every ref misses a couple but I’d say he missed a good chunk today,” Tsonis said.

Going all the way into double overtime the Colonels had to outlast one more questionable decision in the 108th minute as Nichols was awarded a penalty after defender Abigail Ford made contact with Bison forward Danielle Barry inside the box. It is worth noting that contact took place after Barry’s shot and Ford didn’t appear to impede the attacker in any way.

The penalty would’ve won the game for Nichols but Colonels keeper Haley Rice came up with a huge stop. Souza lined up to take the shot for the Bison, but Rice denied her with a sprawling save to the left side near the post. It was easily the most exciting moment in a game otherwise dulled by lackluster decisions from the officiating team.

Rice talked about the game saving stop afterwards.

“I was just angry at the ref. I just channeled all the anger into the penalty kick,” said Rice.

The draw puts the Colonels at 5-2-2 with both of their ties coming within the division.  Their next game comes on Monday, Sept. 25 at 4 p.m. when the Colonels travel to Connecticut to take on the University of Saint Joseph.

Women’s Soccer Blanks Thomas College in Home Opener

BY TYLER MILLIKEN //

Despite rainy weather conditions, the women’s soccer team picked up the victory in their home opener on Sunday defeating Thomas College, 1-0.

Fans from both schools showed on Sunday to cheer on their teams although it wasn’t the best day to watch a soccer game. Neither side complained about the forecast though as everyone seemed ready to compete at kickoff.

Immediately after the first whistle blew, the Colonels deployed an aggressive approach on offense that the Terriers couldn’t match. Curry’s chemistry was impressive as they continued to complete tough passes and dominate the time of possession.

Only 8 minutes into the first half, Curry was awarded a penalty shot when Captain Cassandra Grasso was fouled in the box. She capitalized on the opportunity and rocketed the ball past Terriers’ goalkeeper Kayla Gordon for her third goal of the short season.

As the game continued, Gordon’s day continued to get tougher. The Colonels took a total of 25 shots during both halves, creating havoc on her side of the field without much result. Gordon wasn’t overwhelmed by Curry’s pressure on offense as she consistently made saves slowing their momentum.

Curry didn’t slow its pacing down in the second half, as the team searched for another goal. Head coach Jason Tassinari wasn’t satisfied with the team’s offensive output after they were given numerous chances to increase their lead. 

“I think we played to the level of our opponent. Which is not to say that Thomas College isn’t a good team, but I think we’re at a different level than they are,” said Tassinari.  “I just don’t feel as though our effort was at a level where it needs to be individually and collectively in this program.”

In the final minutes of the matchup, the physicality began to pick up on both sides. There was a lot of pushing and tripping happening, but it was ignored because of the tough field conditions. Eventually, the refs caught on to the situation and put an end to it as time expired.

The win puts the Colonels at 2-0 on the season while the Terriers have fallen to 0-2.

Colonels’ goalkeeper Kristen Buzzotta secured her first shutout of the season, collecting three saves on the day. It wasn’t the most exciting performance, but she continued to make plays whenever her number was called.

Grasso credited Curry’s defense for their win but was realistic about the team’s production on offense.

“Our defense stepped up, and we kept most of the game in our half. Even though it was only 1-0, it should’ve been a game where we scored a little more,” Grasso noted. “We need to step it up.”

The Colonels return to action on Wednesday, Sept. 6th against non-conference foe Wheaton College. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. at Walter M. Katz Field.