In front of a crowd of 705 at Saint Louis' home venue, Rhode Island defeated Saint Louis 4-2, handing the Billikens their first loss in their last five games. The Rams improved to 13-5-2 overall and 5-3-2 in conference play, extending their winning streak to two games.
Rhode Island scored early, with Hannah Larson scoring for Rhode Island in the 11th minute, assisted by Julia Simon. Saint Louis pushed hard for an equalizer but struggled to break down the Rams' defense. Just before halftime, Jill Rosenfeld doubled Rhode Island's lead in the 40th minute, capitalizing on a Courtney Poon assist. The Billikens, boasting a 14-4-2 record and an 8-1-1 conference record, had controlled possession throughout the first half but found themselves trailing 2-0.
The second half saw Lauren MacDonald score her first goal of the match in the 53rd minute, assisted by Mie Carstensen, to give Rhode Island a 3-0 lead. Saint Louis finally got on the board when Hannah Larson scored in the 62nd minute, assisted by Julia Simon, but Rhode Island responded quickly with Kaia Rice netting in the 66th minute. MacDonald scored her second goal of the match in the 76th minute to seal the win for Rhode Island. Saint Louis managed to score a late consolation goal, but it wasn't enough to mount a comeback.
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The loss ended Saint Louis's five-game unbeaten streak. Rhode Island faces top-ranked Dayton next in Atlantic 10 Championship play. Saint Louis, on the other hand, will need to regroup and prepare for their next conference match. Players like Samantha Erbach and Emily Gaebe were visible throughout the match for Saint Louis, while Mie Carstensen, Lauren MacDonald, and Julia Simon were key contributors to Rhode Island's success.
Delete this sentence Courtney Poon and Hannah Larson worked together effectively for Rhode Island, while Julia Simon's goal and assist highlighted her importance to the Rams' attack. For Saint Louis, players like Kailey O'Brien and Emily Groark were involved in several key plays, but ultimately couldn't change the outcome.
Rhode Island's victory demonstrated their resilience and ability to capitalize on scoring opportunities. Rhode Island will face Dayton next. Saint Louis, meanwhile, will need to regroup and reassess their strategy to bounce back from this loss.