SRA SETTLES FOR TIE
Saints earn important road point vs. Wizards
WEST WARWICK — After starting the week with a scoreless tie against Ponaganset, the West Warwick girls soccer team was determined to rediscover their offensive form when they hosted St. Raphael Thursday evening night.
While no offensive clinic was put on display, a goal was scored, which in this defensive affair proved to be enough, as the Wizards managed to force a 1-1 draw with the Saints.
Danielle Maynard accounted for the home team’s lone score of the night with her goal in the 13th minute of action giving West Warwick a 1-0 edge at the time.
The tie was the fourth of the year for West Warwick (2-1-4), something head coach Daniel Lima has been frustrated by.
“All games that we should have won, could have won. The chances are there, the posts are there, we just can’t get a break.”
Maynard had another excellent scoring opportunity several minutes before her goal when she intercepted a pass deep in Saints territory and fired a shot on net, only to have the ball fall into the arms of a diving Carly Quinn, who proved to be a force for the visitors all night.
There were opportunities for West Warwick to score more than just the one goal, but finishing has proven to be an area of difficulty for them this year.
“The finishing part of games has not been there for a while,” said Lima. “We started the season very well, scoring goals. We had plenty of chances, we just couldn’t put it away. That’s going to be a struggle for the rest of the year I guess.”
On the other end, St. Ray’s looking to even their record up at .500 with a win, instead finds themselves at 2-3-2 on the year following Thursday’s draw.
Co-captain Britney Handrigan scored SRA’s only goal in the 31st minute on a shot from over 30 yards out, but like the Wizards, the Saints failed to convert any other scoring opportunities on the night.
Head coach Andre Martins saw an elevation in productivity as the night progressed, but noted that it was not enough.
“First half we started slow, second half we picked it up. I thought we moved the ball around better in the second (half), but we didn’t get as many chances at goal as we wanted,” he said. “Still, a tie is better than a loss.” “Well, when you look at the positive, it’s a point away,” he said of his team that began the week with a 4-2 win over Toll Gate on Monday.
Quinn’s play in net was a large reason why the team was able to avoid a road loss.
“She’s been consistent,” said Martins. “She’s stepped up and made some important saves. She’s showing that she can play.”
The Saints are right back in action this afternoon as they host Pilgrim at 4., while the Wizards will play host to Moses Brown Monday, also at 4 p.m.