Women's Soccer Blanks RIC, 5-0

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. – The Bridgewater State University women's soccer team cruised to a 5-0 victory over visiting Rhode Island College on Wednesday night at Swenson Field.

Five different student-athletes scored for the host Bears who improve to 2-3 on the season. The Anchorwomen fall to 1-3 with the setback.

Sophomore forward Alana Vincent (Taunton, Mass.) paced Bridgewater State with a goal and two assists, while senior forward Courtney Pepin (Uxbridge, Mass.) and sophomore midfielder Tess Nagle (Pembroke, Mass.) each tallied a goal and an assist. Senior midfielder Nicole Simas (Dartmouth, Mass.) and sophomore midfielder Kasey Zielinski (Pembroke, Mass.) also scored for the Bears.

Nagle opened the scoring in the 17th minute off a perfect setup from Vincent. Vincent sent a long diagonal pass to an open Nagle coming down the right side. Nagle beat the keeper one-on-on with a shot to the left from ten yards out.

In the 35th minute, junior forward Taylor Loyd (Halifax, Mass.) sent a crossing pass from the goal line to the front of the net. Sophomore forward Amelia Burke (Plymouth, Mass.) headed the ball to Simas who buried a shot inside the left post for her team-leading third goal of the season.

The Bears would take the 2-0 lead into the break as they outshot the Anchorwomen 11-6 over the first 45 minutes.

Bridgewater carried the momentum into the second half as Pepin potted her first goal of the year and first since 2015 in the 52nd minute. Off a crossing pass from Vincent, Pepin outfought a defender to the ball and tapped a shot inside the right post.

Vincent snuck a shot just under the cross from 20 yards out to extend the Bears lead to 4-0 in the 56th minute. Nagle picked up the assist on Vincent's first goal of the 2017 campaign.

Zielinski put the finishing touches on the Bears' victory in the 71st minute. Freshman forward Victoria Bella (Harker Heights, Texas) started the play with a touch pass on the right side to an open Pepin. Pepin dribbled in and slipped a pass to an oncoming Zielinski who delivered a shot inside the left post from ten yards out for her first collegiate goal.

Bridgewater finished with a 23-8 shot advantage for the game as well as a 6-1 edge in corner kicks.

BSU senior goaltender Lauren DeSousa (Taunton, Mass.) turned aside five shots to record her second win and first shutout of the season. Late in the first half, after the Bears had increased their lead to 2-0, DeSousa made a terrific diving save on a shot labeled for inside the left post.

Freshman Carissa Gaglione (West Warwick, R.I.) and sophomore Erica Edwards (North Kingstown, R.I.) split the game between the pipes for the Anchorwomen. Gaglione made five saves over the first 45 minutes as she was the keeper of record.

Both teams open conference play on Saturday afternoon. The Bears host Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) for Salem State University at noon, while the Anchorwomen entertain Little East Conference (LEC) rival Eastern Connecticut State University at one.