The Suffolk University women’s soccer team won their first round Conference of New England playoff game against Johnson & Wales University Nov. 1, 2-1 in a close, yet well-composed road win to move onto the semifinals.
Earlier in the week, the Rams slipped into the playoffs as the No. 6 seed with a dominant 5-0 win over last-place Nichols in their final regular-season game Oct. 29, which was also their final home game of the season. The team scored all five goals in the first half, with three of them coming within a five-minute timespan.
The goals were highlighted by a pair of powerful goals by senior forward Lily Goldmann, with Daniela Petronio, Makena Columbus and Bria Baughman each getting a goal apiece, with Baughman’s goal being her first ever for the Rams.
The Rams had near-complete control of the game, keeping solid control of possession, attacking aggressively and limiting Nichols to only five shots all game, allowing sophomore goalkeeper Jaiden Wilds to complete her fourth clean sheet of the season with only two saves.
The game would provide some much-needed momentum to a struggling Rams team, as the team had failed to win in the prior five games with three losses and two draws, including a scoreless draw against Johnson & Wales on Oct. 21.
“I think it was good to see the ball hit the back of the net and show ‘hey we can do those things.’” said head coach Ellie McDougall.
At Johnson & Wales, the Rams had a much tougher time. Not only were weather conditions worse, with it being far windier and colder at night, but the Johnson & Wales team showed how they had earned the third seed, contesting each part of the game far more than Nichols ever did.
However, after the half-hour mark, and many close calls skillfully prevented by freshman goalkeeper Arden Rose, the Rams would take over, increasing their possession and attacking far more often.
They would finally break through with a 39th minute goal from Goldmann from inside the box, coming off of one of many strong attacks by Suffolk. The Rams would double that advantage quickly as Sinclaire Hart would cross the ball to junior forward Isa Peraza, who headed it into the goal in the 42nd minute.
However, that certainly wouldn’t be the end of the game, as Johnson & Wales would come out of the half with an extremely strong attack that would result in a goal scored by Sophia Warburton only 44 seconds into the second half. After this, the Rams would hold their composure, limiting Johnson & Wales to another three shots to maintain their one-goal advantage.
“The key to winning was never getting too high and never getting too low. I think the scoreline is indicative of that, we went up 2-0 and we got a goal scored on us in the first 30 seconds of the second half and it didn’t waver and it didn’t change our performance so two goals was enough,” said McDougall.
It was also a team effort to win in a close game, and communication could be frequently heard on the field as the Rams adjusted frequently to counter Johnson & Wales.
“The energy was electric. Every single person here, all 30 of the girls brought their A game and we did not come here to play and that’s something about our team, we won’t quit till the last whistle blows,” said senior midfielder Daniela Petronio, who led the team with four shots. “It all just comes down to IQ and talking to each other and being positive.”
With the win, Suffolk heads into another game on the road against Endicott College for the CNE playoff semifinals Wednesday Nov. 5, for what appears to be yet another tough game.
“It’s going to take a great performance just like that again and Endicott’s a very similar team. They’ve been rested for two weeks, and hopefully that equals rust and not rest, I think it’s going to take just as much grit for that,” said McDougall.
The momentum of the back-to-back wins has certainly motivated the team.
“We’re heading into Endicott really excited. We’re road warriors, we can go anywhere and beat anybody if we bring our A-game,” said Petronio.
