WESTON, Mass. – A goal late in the first half put Regis College ahead, but Rhode Island College responded early in the second half and then held off the Pride for a 1-1 draw Wednesday night in a non-conference women's collegiate soccer match at Regis Stadium.
Rhode Island College immediately challenged the Pride defense, as Jenna Soden sent a shot on net in the second minute of play that was stopped by Regis goalie Cassidy Van Cott (Santa Monica, Calif.). Regis started to put together its offensive threat as the first half went along, but RIC goalkeeper Maya Benedict made four saves in the span of 10 minutes midway through the half to keep the contest scoreless.
The Pride finally broke through in the 42nd minute when Hailey Lovell (Wakefield, Mass.) chipped a short pass back to Samantha Perkins (Whitman, Mass.), who blasted a shot past Benedict for her second career goal.
The Anchorwomen came out firing at the start of the second half, starting with a shot by Serena Forte that Van Cott was able to corral. In the 48th minute, Riley Specht's crossing pass found the right foot of Tayshia Cary, who chipped it in for the game-tying tally.
Regis continually pressured the RIC defense throughout the rest of the match, but only three Pride shots after halftime were on goal, and they were all stopped by goalie Kelly Graziano, who came on in relief at the start of the second half. The action remained down in the Anchorwomen's defensive zone for the last five minutes of play, but the visitors held off the home team to salvage the draw.
Regis outshot Rhode Island College, 25-8, led by Lovell with eight shots and Allison Meade (Stoneham, Mass.) with seven shots. Van Cott finished with four saves for the Pride, while Benedict and Graziano combined for eight saves for the Anchorwomen.
Regis College (2-2-1) heads to Northfield, Vt., for a GNAC contest at Norwich Friday, Sept. 16, starting at 4 p.m. Rhode Island College (0-3-1) enters Little East Conference action with a home match against Western Connecticut State Saturday, Sept. 17, beginning at 1 p.m.