Lady Knights fall on Sophomore Day

KAT RAPOSO

Posted Thursday, October 19, 2017 12:19 pm

The CCRI Lady Knights soccer team hosted the Wolverines of Essex County Community College from Newark, New Jersey on Saturday. The Lady Knights also celebrated Sophomore Day for their eight sophomores playing in their final home match for CCRI. The players honored were: tri-captain Gabrielle Caruso (Cranston, Rhode Island), tri-captain Isabella Rinne (Richmond, Rhode Island), tri-captain Kendra Tantimonico (Warwick, Rhode Island), Laura Lopes (Warren, Rhode Island), Riley McKitchen (Coventry, Rhode Island), Meghan Letendre (West Warwick, Rhode Island) and Brayton Doar (Glocester, Rhode Island). Unfortunately, CCRI lost to the very talented Wolverines, 5-1. With the loss, the Lady Knights fall to 2-4 on the season.

Though CCRI came out on the losing end of the battle, it still got excellent play from the defense as a unit. The defensive corps led by Rinne and helped by Julia Hill (Warren, Rhode Island) helped contain a very speedy and athletic squad of the Wolverines on a damp and slick soccer pitch.

Essex benefited from two early goals in each half, which put CCRI in a difficult situation.

The Lady Knights did their best to battle back in the game, but the athleticism and depth of the Wolverines became too much for CCRI to overcome.

Offensively, the Lady Knights got a boost from freshman forward Kat Raposo (Warwick, Rhode Island), who scored her seventh goal of the year. The goal was assisted by Lopes, who dribbled down the wing and found an open Raposo in the 18-yard box, and she settled the ball with a deft touch and unleashed a missile that buzzed past the Essex keeper’s head into the top of the net.

Head Coach Jim McGirr commented after the match, “Two goals scored on us early in each half set the tone for the match. We battled, but having 12 players with a couple of players carrying knocks will take its toll over the course of 90 minutes.”

The final game for the Lady Knights will be Wednesday when they travel to Bunker Hill Community College in Charlestown, Massachusetts for a game beginning at 4 p.m.