October 2007

The CCRI cross country team traveled to Boston, MA on Sunday to compete in the 18th annual Mayors Cup and Franklin Park Open. Three races are held on this day. The first is an open 5K race where citizen of all age and ability have a chance to race on the Franklin Park course which has been the host to College, USATF Nationals, and World Championships over the past 20 years. The seconded and third races of the day are the Championship races. The men ran in an 8k race while the women ran in a 5k race. The Championship races have the best regional Cross Country runners in the 19-49 age groups.

In the Championship 8k race James Sylvestre (Lincoln, RI) ran a time of 27:09. This was some of the best runners Sylvestre has run against this year. He was also one of the youngest runners to compete in this completion. That being said Sylvestre was able to run a solid race and finished in the middle of the pack with a 114th place finish. While Sylvestre was competing in the Championship Division the rest of the Knights were competing in the Franklin Park Open 5K races. Kevin Mann (West Warwick, RI) finished in 69th in a time of 19:41 and Chris Allegretta (Warwick, RI) finished 78th with a time 20:03.

In the women’s 5K race the Lady Knights got great efforts out of Kristin Vanhouwe (North Smithfield, MA) and Michele Finnel (Providence, RI). Vanhouwe finished in 16th place in her race with a time of 22:12 while Finnel finished a few seconds behind her in 25th place with a time of 22:48. One of the best highlights of the day was Katie Clukey’s (Smithfield, RI) 42 place finish in the Women’s 5K event. Katie has been finishing faster every week and with this effort she shows she has a fine chance of making it to the NJCAA Championship in two weeks. Also for the Lady Knights Heather Bettencourt (Providence, RI) finished over a minute faster then her time last week. Bettencourt was 55th in the event with a time of 31:17.

Go Knights and Lady Knights!!!

Lady Knights Beat Lesley 30-13, 30-17, and 30-19 to End Regular Season 26-16

The CCRI Lady Knights volleyball team defeated the Lady Lynx of Lesley 30-13, 30-17, and 30-19. With the victory the Lady Knights end the regular season with a 26-16 record.

The Lady Knights used this final regular season match as a tune-up heading into District IV playoffs next weekend. The Lady Knights were led by Captain Ashley Markley (Preston, CT) with 26 assists, 10 digs, four kills, two blocks, and two aces and the power hitting of Amanda Valentine (West Warwick, RI) with 12 kills, seven digs, three blocks, and two aces, and Jen Humphrey (Warwick, RI) with nine kills, five digs, three aces, and two blocks the Lady Knights played very well and were never challenged in the three game match.

Head Coach Ray DeAngelis said: “If we can continue to play focused ball and cut down on our service and hitting errors we will have a good chance to advance beyond District playoffs and into the Nationals.”

The Lady Knights will now focus their attention on the District IV playoffs this weekend. Saturday’s schedule will be Genesee CC versus Harcum College at 11am, Harcum versus CCRI at 1:00pm, and Genesee CC versus CCRI at 3:00pm. The two top seeded teams after the round robin will meet at 11:00am Sunday for the District IV Championship.

Knights Lose Hard Fought Battle in Region XXI Semi-final with Massasoit CC 2-0

The Knights needed to put it all together for the Region XXI semifinal game versus # seed Massasoit CC. It appeared that did as they put together the best 30 minutes of the season, but squandered opportunities early in the game resulting in a disappointing 2-0 loss. With the los the Knights record falls to 5-9-3 on the season

Although The Knights controlled the game throughout the first half, it was Massasoit CC scoring the first goal in the 42nd minute of the first half. The Knights did not panic though they were down 1-0. The Knights created a few more good opportunities and were helped by some brilliant saves from Cory Rocha (Riverside, RI) and excellent defensive play. Unfortunately, it was Massasoit CC scoring again late in the second half, to crush any hopes the Knights had of making it to the final and extending their season losing by the final of 2-0.

In the other Semifinal Globe Tech from New York City beat Dean College in a shootout after tying 2-2 in double overtime. The final score was 3-2.

In the final game Sunday, Globe Tech defeated Massasoit 2-1 and advances to the District Championships IV against the winner from Region III.

Coach Victor Gaspar said: “We played an outstanding and courageous game but were unlucky in their scoring chances. We needed to play our best game of the season and got a great effort from the players. Unfortunately it was not enough.” He added “I would also like to pass along best wishes to our sophomores for their contributions to the CCRI Knights soccer program: Cory Rocha, Derek Anderson, Mark Maguire, Mike Conceicao, Ian Sanborn, Nick Mante, Mario Cidade, Travis Fraser and Brian Williams.”

Lady Knights Beat Holyoke 3-0 for 12th Win in a Row and 11th Consecutive Shutout

The CCRI women’s soccer team defeated Holyoke Community College 3-0 in their regular season finale in Lincoln yesterday. It was the Lady Knights 12th win in a row and 11th consecutive shutout victory, a new CCRI record (previous record seven in 2001)!

It took CCRI some time to get on track as the pesky Holyoke team didn’t seem to waiver until the 31st minute of the first half when freshman Jessica Collinson (West Kingston, RI) was fouled and taken down in the 18 yard box. CCRI was awarded a penalty kick and freshman Nicole Kufel (Oradell, NJ) converted to give the Lady Knights a 1-0 lead. Just 10 minutes later Collinson scored her 17th goal of the season on a nice pass from freshman defender Taylor Barbosa (Fall River, MA). It was a close play right at the goal crease as Collinson slide-tackled the ball into the Holyoke goalkeeper who appeared to have the ball but the assistant referee declared it a goal as he said the ball was over the goal line. That gave the Lady Knights a 2-0 halftime lead. Even though the Lady Knights had the 2-0 halftime lead, Coach Grassini was not at all happy with his team’s performance. “We just looked out of sync and a bit tired for some reason”. “You’ve got to give Holyoke credit, they always play us tough whether it’s home or away”, he said.

As the second half began it appeared that the Lady Knights still couldn’t seem to get on track. But things got turned around a bit when Jessica Collinson scored her team leading 18th goal of the season on a nice double assist play from freshmen Amy Torres (Warwick, RI) and Ashley Maisano (Bristol, RI) in the ninth minute. Maisano put up a beautiful corner kick that Torres touch passed to Collinson for the score. With a commanding 3-0 lead, the CCRI “All-Freshmen Defense” of sweeper Desiree Hodge (West Warwick, RI), stopper Nicole Kufel (Oradell, NJ), and fullbacks Taylor Barbosa (Fall River, MA) and Danielle Cartier (Lincoln, RI) took over and shut down the Cougars for the rest of the match. Freshman goalkeeper Crystal Sullivan (Johnston, RI) recorded her fifth win of the season, all shut out victories!

The Lady Knights completely shutout the region this season, not allowing a goal in all nine regional contests! In fact, the program has not lost a regional game since October 24, 2001; ironically to Holyoke CC 3-1 exactly six years to the day! Since that time the records show that the CCRI women’s soccer program has remarkably yielded only a stingy eight goals against regional opponents!

Individually leading the way for the Lady Knights offensively this season were Jessica Collinson with 18 goals and four assists for 40 total points, Ashley Maisano with 12 goals and 12 assists for 36 total points, Rebekka Costa (Warwick, RI) with 11 goals and five assists for 27 total points and Co-Captain Stephanie Grassini (Warwick, RI) with six goals and 14 assists for 26 total points (in just 10 games). Defensively the Lady Knights were led by their “All-Freshmen Defense” of sweeper Desiree Hodge (West Warwick, RI), stopper Nicole Kufel (Oradell, NJ), and fullbacks Taylor Barbosa (Fall River, MA), Domenica Barsoian (Greenville, RI), and Danielle Cartier (Lincoln, RI). The Lady knights defense was anchored by their Goalkeepers Samantha Danielson (Burrillville, RI) in eight games allowed just two goals for a .26 Goals Against Average with six shutouts in 675 minutes in goal and Crystal Sullivan allowing no goals for a 0.00 GAA and five shutouts in 450 minutes in goal.

The Lady Knights will now move on to District play when they will face off in the District Tournament finals and meet the winner of a match between Region III (Upstate New York) and Region IXX (New Jersey) on Sunday, November 4th in Lincoln. The winner of the final game will advance to the 2007 National Tournament “Elite Eight” in Albany, Georgia November 15-18.

Knights End Regular Season on High Note Defeating NAPS 3-1

The CCRI Knights men’s soccer team defeated the Rams of the Naval Academy Preparatory School 3-1 in there last game of the regular season. With the victory the Knights end the regular season 5-8-3.

The Knights needed to win, but also needed to play well in their last game of the regular season. They accomplished both, as they beat a decent Navy Prep team in Newport, on a very windy afternoon. 3-1. The win was an excellent step in the right direction in preparation for the regional payoffs this weekend.

The Knights controlled the game right from the beginning and it was Travis Fraser (Blackstone, MA) knocking the ball in, on an excellent run and pass from Michael Conceicao (Cranston, RI). In the second half the Knights started well once again, but were not able to score, until midway in the half. Once again it was Travis Fraser assisted by Paul Wilson (Pawtucket, RI). Finally, Abdoul Mbaye (Pawtucket, RI) sent Paul Wilson on a breakaway for the Knights’ third goal. Corey Rocha (Riverside, RI) and the Knights lost the shutout as NAPS scored with about 10 minutes to go.

Head Coach Victor Gaspar said “We continue to show signs of improvement and are generally healthy, going into practice today, in preparation for the regional playoffs. All 20 players played and will be challenged this week to raise their level of play, as we host the Region XXI Tournament this weekend. This is the first time that the Knights have more than two days off in three weeks.

The Knights now prepare for the Region XXI, Division I Playoffs this weekend at the CCRI Flanagan Campus Soccer Complex in Lincoln. The #4 seeded Knights will play Saturday at 10:30am versus top seeded Massasoit CC followed by #2 seeded Dean College who will face off against #3 seed Globe Institute. Globe is only team from Region XV so they will travel to the Region XXI Tournament for a birth in the District Tournament hosted by the Region XXI Tournament winner.

Lady Knights Defeat Dean College 30-13, 30-16, and 30-15 to Improve Record to 25-16!

The CCRI Lady Knights volleyball team defeated Region XXI rival Dean College 30-13, 30-16, and 30-15. With the victory the Lady Knights improve their record to 25-16 on the season.

The Lady Knights put together a great team effort as they begin to focus in on post-season play. Captain Ashley Markley (Preston, CT) led the Lady Knights with 27 assists, seven digs, five blocks, two kills, and an ace while spreading the ball out to hitters Jen Humphrey (Warwick, RI) 14 kills, four blocks, three aces, and two digs and Amanda Valentine (West Warwick, RI) had 13 kills, four blocks, and three digs. Also contributing for the Lady Knights were Jess Green (Warwick, RI) with five kills, three digs, and a block, the Lady Knights were led defensively by Ashley Mangione (Warwick, RI) with 12 digs, four aces, and a kill and Tia Becker (Providence, RI) added eight digs, four kills, four assists, and a block.

Head Coach Ray DeAngelis said: “The team is starting to focus in on playoffs now and trying to work on all the little things to make them better.”

The Lady Knights next game will be this Saturday the 27th at 11:00am when they host Lesley College on the CCRI Flanagan Campus in Lincoln.

Knights and Lady Knights Basketball Ranked in Top 25 NJCAA Division II Preseason Polls!

Both the CCRI Knights men’s basketball team and the CCRI Lady Knights women’s basketball team are ranked the NJCAA Division II Pre-season basketball polls.

The CCRI Knights men’s basketball team is ranked #17 in the Division II Pre-season Poll. The Knights were 16-18 and made an impressive run to the National Tournament last year and hope to build on last year’s success. The Knights will be led by returning 2006-07 Honorable Mention All-American, Pat Dame (West Greenwich, RI), who selected as a Pre-Season First Team All-American. Dame averaged 14 points, 3rebounds, four assist, and 1.5 steals per game in the 2006-07 season.

The CCRI Lady Knights basketball Team is ranked #14 in the Division II Pre-Season Poll. The Lady Knights were 19-11 last year and made fourth consecutive trip to the National Tournament reaching the “Elite Eight”. The Lady Knights will be led by returning First Team All-American and Pre-season First Team All-American Denise Scott (Yonkers, NY). Scott averaged 15.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 3 steals per game in the 2006-07 season.

DeFaria honored at RIC Gala Event Honoring 30 years of women’s Intercollegiate Athletics

CCRI Lady Knights Associate Head Basketball Coach Claudia DeFaria (Central Falls, RI) was one of 17 current and former Rhode Island College female student-athletes honored at the Rhode Island College Gala event celebrating 30 years of women’s intercollegiate athletics this past Friday October 19th.

Rhode Island College was celebrating the fact that DeFaria scored 1,048 points in two seasons while at RIC. Her high scoring total is still to this day considered “One of the Greatest Moments in Anchorwomen history.” DeFaria eclipsed the 1,000 point barrier for RIC after scored 916 points as a point guard for the CCRI Lady Knights, giving her a total of 1,964 points over her four-year basketball career. DeFaria has been inducted to both the CCRI and RIC Athletics Halls of Fame.

CCRI Head Women’s Basketball Coach Marcus Reilly had this to say about DeFaria’s achievement: "Congrats to Coach D from her women's basketball family - although this recognition is in a long line of many, every one is truly well deserved. I can't even begin to measure how having such a strong, independent woman as our associate head coach positively impacts our women's basketball players and their futures. I know she impacts and influences me on a daily basis. Claudia is the definition of a CCRI success story - both as a graduate and coach."

Other teams and athletes honored at the RIC gala included: 1980-81 RIC women’s basketball team, 1981 RIC women’s volleyball team, Lois (Testa) Lynch ’57 Competes at 1956 Olympics,1984 RIC softball team,1984-85 and 1985-86 RIC women’s basketball teams, Jo-Ann D’Alessandro ’88 leads the nation in free-throw percentage, Cathy Lanni ’88 posts 1,000 career points and rebounds, Sue Paul earns national championship, 2007 RIC softball team, Caitlin Gavin leads NCAA in goals per game, and Nicole Riley establishes NCAA consecutive win streak. In addition, all RIC former female All-Americans were honored: Sajdah Ahmad, Amy Bright ’00, Nicole Centazzo ’98, Jenna Daum ’98, Cathy Lanni ’88, Jeanne (Berthasavage) Lucey ’86, Annmarie (Gower) Marino ’84, ’89, Sue Paul Nicole Riley, and Kim (Smith) Rondeau ’87.

Knights’ Sylvestre Finishes First at NHIT Invitational

The CCRI Knights Men’s and Women’s Cross Country team participated in The New Hampshire Tech Institute Invitational this past weekend and had some great individual performances.

James Sylvestre (Lincoln, RI) came in first place at the NHTI invitational. James ran the 7k course 24:35. James blew away the competition by finishing over two minutes ahead of the seconded place runner Chris Laplander of Daniel Webster College. Chris Allegretta (Warwick, RI) the only other CCRI runner finished in 14th place with a time of 29:50.

Kristin Vanhouwe (North Smithfield, RI) and Michele Finnel (Providence, RI) finished in seconded and third place respectively in the women’s race. Kristin ran the 5k course in 22:05 while Michele was 35 seconds behind her in a time of 22:40. Both women ran their seconded best time of the season. The women’s race was won by Small College Athletic Association All-American Heather Searles of New Hampshire Tech who ran 19:43. Katie Clukey (Smithfield, RI) ran a great race to get eighth place in a time of 26:38 and Heather Bettencourt (Providence, RI) continues to improve as she ran her best time of the season 32:40 which was good for 17th place.

The two teams are back in action this weekend when they run in the Mayor’s Cup/Franklin Park Open. The race starts right at 9:00 AM.

Lady Knights sweep Quad match with Holyoke, NHTI, and Dean improve record to 24-16!

The CCRI Lady Knights women’s volleyball team defeated swept their quad match with Holyoke Dean and NHTI. They defeated Holyoke 21-30, 30-14, and 15-6, NHTI 30-12 and 30-22, and Dean College 30-15 and 30-16.

Match 1

CCRI defeats Holyoke 21-30, 30-14, and 15-6

With only eight players available and 2 of those benched for discipline issues the knights went into the match with a very patchwork lineup. The result was a first game loss. Once the full line up was restored the tables were turned and the Lady Knights cruised to victory led by middle hitter Amanda Valentine (West Warwick, RI) had seven kills, seven digs, and four blocks, Jen Humphrey (Warwick, RI) with six digs, four kills, three aces, and a block and Stephanie Marquez (Warwick, RI) added five kills, five digs, three aces, an assist, and a block.

Match 2

CCRI defeats NHTI 30-12 and 30-22

With everyone in the lineup from the start the lady knights made this a total team effort on both sides of the ball as every player on the court had at least one kill and one dig led by Captain Ashley Markley (Preston, CT) with 14 assists, four digs, two aces and two kills and Jen Humphrey (Warwick, RI) added seven blocks, six kills, and two digs.

Match 3

CCRI defeats Dean 30-15 and 30-16

More of the same in Match 3 as the ladies cruised past Region XXI rival Dean College with everyone once again contributing. Led by Captain Ashley Markley (Preston, CT) with 14 kills, nine digs, two kills, and a block, Amanda Valentine (West Warwick, RI) had 13 digs, eight kills, and two blocks, Jen Humphrey (Warwick, RI) with seven kills, five blocks, three digs, and three aces, and Stephanie Marquez (Warwick, RI) added five kills, five digs, a block, and an ace.

Head Coach Ray DeAngelis said “This was a nice team effort all day long. We have something to build on as we finish the regular season this week and head into playoffs the following week.”

The Lady Knights next match will be this Saturday the 27th when they will face Lesley College at 11:00am.

Lady Knights Beat Springfield Tech CC 5-0 to Win 11th Straight and 10th Shutout in a Row!

The 11th ranked (NJCAA and NSCAA National Division 1 soccer polls) CCRI Lady Knights women’s soccer team continued their dominance of Region XXI opponents as they chalked up their 14th win on the season by defeating Springfield Technical CC 5-0. CCRI is now 8-0 in Region XXI play. In the process the Lady Knights recorded their 11th win in a row while registering their 10th consecutive shutout victory. CCRI has not allowed a goal since they defeated Bryant and Stratton (NY) 4-2 just about one month ago; some 950 minutes of play!

Once again the “All-Freshmen” defense of sweeper Desiree Hodge (West, Warwick, RI), fullbacks Taylor Barbosa (Fall River, MA), Danielle Cartier (Lincoln, RI), Domenica Barsoian (Greenville, RI), and stopper Nicole Kufel (Oradell, NJ) snuffed out most of any Springfield Tech attempts to penetrate the Knights defensive zone. However, on a few occasions, goalkeeper Crystal Sullivan (Johnston, RI) had to come up big, making a few really great saves. Crystal made nine saves in total to preserve the win, her fourth of the season; all shutout victories! “Crystal has really come back strong from her injury and she is really focused”, said Head Coach Dennis Grassini. “Her punts were just outstanding”, he said. “Coach Bannan and I are very confident in all of our goalkeepers” “Sam (Samantha Danielson, Burrillville, RI) has eight wins and six shutouts for a GAA of .267”. Megan Belmont (Pawtucket, RI), the third keeper has appeared in two games and has yet to give up a goal. The Lady Knights have outscored their opponents so far this season 78 to 8!

CCRI had a commanding 4-0 halftime lead on goals by Freshman Rebekka Costa (Warwick, RI), Freshman Jessica Foss (East Providence, RI), Freshman Nicole Kufel (Oradell, NJ), and Freshman Ashley Maisano (Bristol, RI). Costa had two assists, Maisano had one assist, and Amy Torres (Warwick, RI) had one assist. “We are quite happy about the diversification of our scoring right now”, said Associate Coach Kathy Bannan. “It just seems that every game different people step up to the plate”, she said. Freshman, Amy Torres closed out the scoring in the second half on an unassisted goal with about eight minutes remaining in the match to give the Lady Knights the 5-0 victory. Sophomore Co-Captain and All-American Stephanie Grassini (Warwick, RI) has been on the shelf for the last five games due to injury but she is expected back in the line up soon, just in time for the playoffs.

The Lady Knights wrap up the regular season this Wednesday the 24th as they face off against Holyoke Community College at 3:30pm at the CCRI Flanagan in Lincoln.

The CCRI Knights Men’s Soccer Team Defeats STCC 4-1

The Knights really needed to win a game coming off two losses, but more importantly, needed to play well. They accomplished both, as they defeated the Rams of Springfield Tech 4-1. With the victory the Knights improve their record to 4-8-3.

Although the Knights controlled the game throughout the first half, it was not until the 43rd minute that Travis Fraser (Blackstone, MA) tucked the first goal in, on a pass from Paul Wilson (Pawtucket, RI). The Knights were back on the board early in the eight minute of the second half as Paul Wilson put in a header on a cross from Fernando Vitorino (West Warwick, RI). Springfield Tech made it a close game on a goal from Kevin Murphy, off a Knights’ defensive error. It did not take long for the Knights to add an insurance goal as Brendan Craveiro (Bristol, RI) broke away from the Springfield Tech defense and notched the third goal for CCRI. Finally, it was Brendan Craveiro scored again putting the game out of reach for Springfield on Fernando Vitorino's second assist of the game and making the final score 4-1.

Head Coach Victor Gaspar said: “We are showing signs of playing better soccer. We improved the quality of play as the game progressed. That's always a good sign.”

The Knights next Game will be this Tuesday, October 23rd at Navy Prep in Newport, RI at 3:00pm.

Short-handed Lady Knights shock AIC to Improve Record to 21-16

The CCRI Knights women’s volleyball team defeated American International College 30-26, 22-30, 31-29, and 30-22. With the Victory the Lady Knights improve their record to 21-16 on the season.

The Lady Knights, outnumbered and supposedly over matched, pulled out a great team victory on Thursday night. With only seven players available for the match Head Coach Ray DeAngelis decided not to tell his team before the match that AIC would be playing a combined JV/varsity team with only their seniors sitting out. Instead he told them to play hard and have fun. The Lady Knights responded with their best effort of the season.

Led by Captain Ashley Markley (Preston, CT) with 28 assists, nine digs, six kills, four blocks and an ace proving once again why she was chosen a pre-season Third Team All-American. In addition, Amanda Valentine (West Warwick, RI) playing against her former high school teammate Keziah Kashouh put on an amazing display of aerial acrobatics against much taller opponents charting 14 kills, 13 blocks, six digs, and an ace. Also coming up big for the Lady Knights and playing all the way around for the first time this season Jen Humphrey (Warwick, RI) turned in a great performance on both sides of the ball with 11 kills, nine digs, four blocks, and four aces. Leading the way defensively for the Lady Knights was Tia Becker (Providence, RI) with 14 digs, three blocks, three kills, and three aces while Ashley Mangione added eight digs, four aces and an assist.

Head Coach Ray DeAngelis said: “I was a little shocked when the AIC coach told me before the game that he would be playing a mix of varsity and JV. I started thinking that it would be a long night for us without having any subs and the opposition having 14 players to work with. Our team still does not know they beat an NCAA Division II team last night. A great win as we head into the end of the regular season”

The Lady Knights next matches will be this Saturday the 20th when they host Dean, Holyoke and New Hampshire Tech matches start at 10am on the CCRI Flanagan Campus in Lincoln.

Knights Cannot Stop Cougars fall 4-2

The CCRI Knights men’s soccer team was defeated by the Cougars of Manchester CC 4-2. With the loss the Knights’ record falls to 4-8-3 on the season.

The Knights once again started the game well, getting on the scoreboard first in the fifth minute but Manchester answered quickly with two goals in 10 minutes for a 2-1 score at the half. The Knights gave up two more goals in the second half. The Knights scored a goal in the 33rd minute to make the final score 4-2.

The Knights scored first on an excellent shot by Paul Wilson (Pawtucket, RI) assisted by Jonathan Velez (Pawtucket, RI). Manchester’s Mike Sehanis quickly evened the score on a deflected shot. Manchester went on to score three more goals by Joseph Danso, Santiago Meira, and Austin Fetzer respectively to bring to the score to 4-1. The Knights reacted well a played some good soccer bringing the score to 4-2 on a goal by Ian Sanborn (North Scituate, RI) assisted by Paul Wilson. The Knights continued to press and had some good opportunities including a missed penalty shot, in the last couple of minutes.

Head Coach Victor Gaspar said: “We are struggling and not able to put together enough quality minutes. We are showing some signs of improvement, but crucial errors in it's own half of the field and missed opportunities on the other half, have made it difficult to turn things around. With two games to go in the regular season and a playoff berth, I know we can still put it together.”

The Knights next game will be this Saturday versus Springfield Tech at 2:00pm at the CCRI Flanagan Campus in Lincoln.

CCRI Women’s Soccer Team Beats Dean College 9-0

Captures 7th straight N.E. Regional Championship

Unbeaten streak now at 10 straight games -Overall record now at 13-1

The 11th ranked (NJCAA and NSCAA National polls) CCRI Women’s Soccer team defeated Dean College 9-0 yesterday in Lincoln. This was the Lady Knights10th consecutive victory and ninth shutout victory in row as they extend that record as well.

With the win the Lady Knights captured the program’s seventh consecutive Region XXI New England Championship as the team’s overall record now stands at 13-1 on the season.

Just fifteen minutes into the game freshman defender Danielle Cartier (Lincoln, RI) took a pass from freshman Ashley Maisano (Bristol, RI) to record her first goal of the season. Maisano chipped in two more goals in the half on assists from Cartier and freshman Jessica Collinson (West Kingston, RI).

With the score 3-0 at the half the Lady Knights were in total command. As the second half of play presumed, it didn’t take CCRI long to get back on the scoreboard as freshmen Rebekka Costa (Warwick, RI) converted in the sixth minute of play off of a nice corner kick from freshman Nicole Kufel (Oradell, NJ). Just eight minutes later Costa scored again on a pass from Monique Grant (Hope, RI). The barrage continued as Nicole Kufel scored an unassisted goal just a couple of minutes later to give the Knights a 6-0 lead. Rebekka Costa scored her third goal of the contest off another nice pass from Nicole Kufel in the 29th minute of play. A few minutes later Katie Gregory (West Warwick, RI) scored on an assist from Ashley Maisano, who registered six points on the afternoon with two goals and two assists. With just over 10 minutes left to play in the contest freshman forward Jessica Collinson (West Kingston, RI) scored on a penalty kick to make the final score 9-0. Collinson continues to lead the Lady Knights in scoring on the season with 16 goals and four assists for a total of 36 points!

Once again the “All-Freshmen” CCRI defense was as stingy as ever as they have not yielded a goal in nine straight games, another program record. Freshman Desiree Hodge (West Warwick, RI), freshman Taylor Barbosa (Fall River, MA), freshman Danielle Cartier (Lincoln, RI), freshman Nicole Kufel (Oradell, NJ), and freshman Domenica Barsoian (Greenville, RI) all played well. Freshman goalkeeper Samantha Danielson recorded her sixth shutout victory in goal.

The Lady Knights next contest will be this Saturday as they host Springfield Technical Community College at 12:00pm at the Lincoln Campus.

Knights Take Lead but Cannot Hold off Warriors of Massasoit Losing 3-1

The Knights faced off against Region XXI Division I archrival Massasoit Community College, currently 9th in the NJCAA Division I poll. The Knights took the lead mid way in the first half but were unable to hold on as Massasoit scored three second half goals to pull off the victory. With the loss the Knights’ record drops to 4-7-3 on the year.

The Knights started off very well against a very good Massasoit team creating multiple scoring chances early in the game. The Knights struck first on a beautiful combination play between

Paul Wilson (Pawtucket, RI) and Travis Fraser (Blackstone, MA) which caused a Massasoit penalty that led to the first goal of the game. Paul Wilson converted the penalty shot to put the Knights ahead 1-0 in the 23rd minute.

The Knights led for the rest of the first half and had multiple opportunities to take the lead but it was Massasoit that tied the score in the 13th minute of the second half on a header by Louis Landim. The second half was very competitive but a Knights defensive breakdown led to Massasoit’s second goal by Kyle Estrela in the 28th minute. From there the Knights had no choice but to press the action to get the equalizer but it was Massasoit’s Estrela knocking in the third goal for the Warriors for the final score of 3-1.

Head Coach Victor Gaspar said: “We played an excellent first half and most of the second half. It looked as if we were heading for another overtime game. We need to put together a full game to be able to beat teams at the national poll level.”

The Knights next game will be at Manchester CC this Thursday, October 18th at 3:00pm.

Women’s Tennis Team Drops to 0-4 on the Season, But Makes Great Strides

In there second match in as many days the CCRI Women’s Tennis team drops to 0-4 on the season. Herkimer County Community College defeated the Lady Knights four games to two on Sunday.

Jill Putrino (Exeter, RI) and Hannah Koski (Coventry, RI) teamed up to face An Yamada and Megumi Yoshikawa fresh off their Region III tournament championship in 1st doubles. Putrino and Koski dropped the 8-game pro-set 8-1. In the other doubles match Captain Lindsay Osborn (E. Greenwich, RI) teamed up with Valerie Wean (Providence, RI) to face Lori Tomanek and Hazuki Yamata. Osborn and Wean dropped the 8-game pro-set, 8‑5.

In the singles matches the Lady Knights picked up their two victories from Jill Putrino and Hannah Koski. Putrino faced Yoshikawa in 2nd singles. Putrino, dropped the first set but prevailed in the match 3-6, 7-5, 1-0 (10-4 in a match tiebreak in lieu of a full third set.) Hannah Koski who had a stellar weekend going 2-0 in her singles matches faced Tomanek in 3rd singles. Koski carried the match in decisive fashion, 6-1, 6-1. Rounding out the singles play was Wean facing Mukata in 4th singles. Wean lost in straight sets, 6-2, 6-1 in a match that featured long points and gracious play by both the competitors.

Head Coach Deb Panzica said after the match, “The Lady Knights clearly built on their successes from the previous match. Over the weekend three out of the four players to make the trip posted victories. The fourth won an unprecedented number of games despite losing the overall matches. Each of the teams that we faced wants us back in the spring and look forward to continuing the competitive relationship throughout future seasons.”

Women’s Tennis Team Drops to 0-3 on the Season

The CCRI Women’s Tennis team drops to 0-3 on the season. Onondaga Community College defeated the Lady Knights four games to two on Saturday.

The Knights two victories came from Captain Lindsay Osborn (East Greenwich, RI) and Hannah Koski (Coventry, RI). Lindsay defeated Chiara Arezzo 6-0, 4-6, 6-2 in a pretty convincing victory. Also in convincing fashion Hanna Koski swept her opponent in two sets with a 6-4, 6-1 victory. Rounding out the singles play was Valerie Wean (Providence, RI) facing Tonija Droczak in 4th singles. Wean lost in straight sets, 6-0, 6-0 in a match that was much closer than the score shows. In one of the better matches of the day CCRI’s Jill Putrino (Exeter, RI) lost a difficult match in three sets 4-6, 6-4, 6-3.

In doubles action Lindsay Osborn teamed up with Jill Putrino in 1st doubles to face Arezzo and Gasparini. Osborn and Koski dropped the 8-game pro-set (first to eight games) 8-3. While Wean and Koski teamed up to face LeClair and Droczak, dropping the 8-game pro-set 8-4.

Head Coach Deb Panzica said after the match, “The Lady Knights are starting to show some definite progress. There was actually a point during the singles contests where we were up in three matches and had an opportunity to have won the overall match! It didn’t work out for us today. But we will look to build on this experience and move forward.”

Lady Knights Struggle to a 1-3 Weekend

The CCRI Lady Knights Volleyball team went 1-3 this weekend at the Hagerstown Tournament. CCRI ran into some of the best competition that they have faced all year. The Lady Knights defeated Oakland Community College while losing to Genesee CC, Howard, and Kellogg Community College. After this weekends matches the Knights record falls to 20-16 on the season.

CCRI defeats Oakland Community College 32-34 30-25 15-10

In a great three game match the Lady Knights defeated Oakland CC two games to one. The first game was a seesaw affair with both teams trading points from start to end with Oakland coming out on top. However, in the second and third games CCRI increased defense intensity which led to a victory. Ashley Markley (Preston, CT) handed out a season high 31 assists to go along with 2 kills 8 digs 1 block and 1 ace. Amanda Valentine (West Warwick, RI) recorded 15 kills 8 digs 3 blocks and 2 aces. Jen Humphrey (Warwick, RI) had 12 kills 5 digs 5 blocks and 1 ace. Also contributing Stephanie Marquez (Warwick, RI) 7 kills 8 digs 2 blocks 1 ace, Tia Becker (Providence, RI) 4 kills 3 assists 7 digs and 2 blocks and Ashley Mangione (Warwick, RI) who came big defensively with 18 digs.

Genesee defeats CCRI 27-30 24-30

Despite losing in a close two games the Lady Knights proved to themselves and to Genesee that they are ready for the district playoffs were Genesee will be their main competition. The Knights were once again led by Ashley Markley who dished out 15 assists, had one kill, four digs, two blocks and one ace. Jen Humphrey had nine kills, seven digs, four blocks and one ace.

Howard defeats CCRI 26-30 30-24 13-15

For the fourth time this season the CCRI Lady Knights met up with Dragons from Howard Community College. After losing a close first game the Lady Knights bounced back to win game two and force a third game. In the third game the two teams traded points with the Dragons being able to pull away at the end. Ashley Markley finished the match with 18 assists, one kill, 11 digs, one block. Freshmen Amanda Valentine had seven kills, eights blocks, and 10 digs while Stephanie Marquez had three kills, 12 digs one block, and a team high four aces.

Kellogg defeats CCRI 25-30 11-30

Against the tournament finalist CCRI played a remarkable first game holding the lead for most of the game before Kellogg superior firepower wore the Lady Knights down. In game two it was all Kellogg defeating the Lady Knights 30-11. Ashley Markley had 10 assists, four digs, two blocks and Ashley Mangione 12 digs and one ace

The CCRI Knights and Bristol Community College Battle To a 3-3 Tie

The CCRI Knights Men’s Soccer team played their fifth game in eight days, three of those games ended in double overtime, including yesterday’s match that ended in a 3-3 tie versus Bristol Community College. The tie makes the Knights recorded 4-6-3 on the season.

CCRI started off very well against a good Bristol Community College team and were on the board in the third minute of the game. Fernando Vitorino (West Warwick, RI) sent a cross to Kevin Randle (Lincoln, RI) for a hard shot that rebounded off the keeper and Travis Fraser (Blackstone, MA) was there for the rebound to knocked it in and give the Knights an early 1-0 lead. However, eight minutes later BCC was able to tie the game on a free kick. The Knights continued to keep the pressure on BCC and were awarded a penalty kick midway into the half. The Knights Sophomore Mike Conceicao (Cranston, RI) converted on the penalty kick to give the Knights a 2-1 half time lead.

The Knights once again were not able to hold the lead and gave up the tying goal in the 17th minute of the 2nd half. In a very offensive game the Knights took the lead back again, when Brendan Craveiro (Bristol, RI) was tripped inside the goalie box. CCRI was awarded a penalty kick, which Ian Sanborn (North Scituate, RI) converted to give the Knights a 3-2 lead with little time remaining in the game. Unfortunately the scoring was not done and this time it was BCC who was awarded a penalty shot, and evened the score at 3-3 and sent the contest into overtime. The Knights controlled the overtime periods and scored but the goal was disallowed on a questionable call. The game ended at 3-3.

Coach Gasper said after the game, “We once again played some very good soccer and were never behind. The teams inability to hold the lead, unnecessarily forced another overtime game. With 4 games to go the Knights need to tighten up their defensive play and allow the offensive play to follow.

CCRI plays Massasoit at home this Tuesday @3:30 PM on the Flanagan Campus located in Lincoln, RI.

LADY KNIGHTS BEAT MERCER COUNTY CC 4-0 AND RECORD 8TH SHUTOUT VICTORY IN A ROW AND

SET NEW PROGRAM RECORD FOR CONSECUTIVE SHUTOUT WINS!!!

The 11th ranked (NJCAA national poll division 1) CCRI women’s soccer team defeated Mercer County CC Sunday, October 14th in Lincoln 4-0. It was the team’s 9th win in a row and the 8th shutout victory in a row; a new CCRI women’s soccer program record! The Lady Knights are now 12-1 on the season. With the win the Lady Knights broke the all time women’s soccer program’s record for consecutive shutout victories in a row that was first set in 2001. The team has not yielded a goal since they played Bryant & Stratton College back on September 23rd; a span of almost 767 total minutes of play.

The Lady Knights came out flat and could not get things organized throughout the entire first half of play. “We just couldn’t seem to get on track and perhaps the windy conditions had something to do with it”, said Head Coach Dennis Grassini. But in the 34th minute of play the Knights got a break when a Mercer defender inadvertently deflected the ball into her own net (“Own Goal”) to give CCRI the 1-0 halftime advantage. “You’ve got to give them (Mercer) credit; they really came at us very strong which seemed to throw us off a bit. But as the first half progressed we seemed to begin to play our game, especially in the last 20 minutes or so”, said Grassini. “I told them at halftime that we needed to get ourselves reorganized and re-focused on the task at hand and they seemed to respond “, he said.

Respond they did. The Lady Knights out-scored Mercer 3-0 in the second half of play. In the 15th minute of play freshman Ashley Maisano (Bristol, RI) scored what really became the game winning goal on a nice pass from freshman Rebekka Costa (Warwick, RI). Maisano fired a beautiful hard shot to the left side of the net as she came in from the right. “It was a very powerful shot and well placed”, said Associate Head Coach, Kathy Bannan. “That goal was a shot in the arm for us this afternoon”, said Head Coach Dennis Grassini. “Ashley has been playing very well all season”, he said. She is now tied for second on the team in scoring tallying 9 goals and 8 assists for 26 points.

Just 8 minutes later freshman Jessica Collinson (West Kingstown, RI) the teams leading scorer tallied the Lady Knights third goal of the day on a nice pass from Rebekka Costa. Costa again set up Collinson for her second goal of the day with about 3:00 minutes left to play to put the game out of reach. Rebekka Costa had three assists, while Collinson had two goals on the day. “Rebekka is on fire right now” said Coach Bannan. “She scored three goals yesterday against NH Technical Institute and tallied three assists today”! “It’s nice to have her back in the line up”, said Grassini.

“Our defense has been just outstanding all season long, but setting that kind of record is a tribute to everyone on this team as they all work so well together”, said Coach Grassini

The Lady Knights next opponent will be Dean College this coming Wednesday, October 17th in Lincoln at 3:30pm. If CCRI can defeat Dean they will win the New England Region 21 championship for the 7th year in a row and the 10th in the program’s 14 year history.

LADY KNIGHTS BEAT NH TECHNICAL INSTITUTE 5-0 AND RECORD 7TH SHUTOUT VICTORY IN A ROW

The 11th ranked (NJCAA national poll division 1) CCRI women’s soccer team defeated New Hampshire Technical Institute on Saturday in Concord, NH 5-0. It was the team’s 8th win in a row and the 7th shutout victory in a row. CCRI is now 11-1 on the season. With the win the Lady Knights tied the program’s record for consecutive shutout victories in a row that was first set in 2001.

After an absence of a little over two weeks due to injury, freshman Rebekka Costa (Warwick, RI) came back with a vengeance and scored the first three goals of the game for a “pure hat trick”. Her first goal was scored in the 19th minute off of a pass from freshman Ashley Maisano (Bristol, RI). Costa scored twice more in the first half in a 2 minute span on assists from freshman Jessica Collinson (West Kingstown, RI) and again from Ashley Maisano to give the Lady Knights a commanding 3-0 advantage at halftime.

It didn’t take long for CCRI to get back on the scoreboard as Monique Grant (Scituate, RI) put the ball in the net on a pass from freshman Nicole Kufel (Oradell, NJ) in the 4th minute of play. The Lady Knights continued to dominate the game throughout the second half while making nice passing combination plays up and down the field. In the 26th minute into the second half, Jessica Collinson converted on a nice goal on a double assist play from freshman Jessica Foss (East Providence, RI) and co-captain Jill DeLuca (West Warwick, RI) to close out the scoring on the day.

Once again the Knights defensive corps of freshman sweeper back Desiree Hodge (West Warwick, RI), freshman back Taylor Barbosa (Fall River, MA), freshman back Danielle Cartier ( Lincoln, RI), and freshman stopper and marking back Nicole Kufel (Oradell, NJ) were outstanding in only allowing New Hampshire just two shots on goal! Freshman goalkeeper Samantha Danielson (Pascoag, RI) had a relatively easy day recording her 5th shutout victory of the season. Danielson has appeared in 7 games this season and she has only allowed 2 goals against, for an outstanding goals against average of just .31.

The team has only given up 8 goals on the season in 12 contests! CCRI’s next game will be Sunday, October 14th as they host Mercer County Community College of New Jersey at 12:00pm in Lincoln.

CCRI Men’s Soccer Team and Bunker Hill play to 1-1 Tie

The CCRI Men’s Soccer team played their 4th game in 7 days yesterday. Of those four games two of them went into double overtime, including yesterday’s match that ended in a 1-1 tie. With the tie the Knights record goes to 3-6-2 on the season.

CCRI started off very well against a good Bunker Hill team, and was able to get on the scoreboard first. At the 29th minute Travis Fraser (Blackstone, MA), had an excellent individual play taking on a couple of defenders and was taken down in the penalty area. A penalty shot was awarded and Paul Wilson (Pawtucket, RI) put the ball in the back of the net to give the Knights a 1-0 lead. The Knights came out flat in the beginning of the second half and gave up the tying goal in the 19th minute. From that point on the game was very competitive for both sides and both teams were held scoreless over the last 46 minutes of the game.

Head Coach Victor Gaspar said after the game, “We once again played some very good soccer for most of the game, but were unable to maintain the intensity throughout the match.

CCRI is back in action this Saturday as they play host to Bristol Community College at 1:00 PM on the Flanagan Campus in Lincoln.

Lady Knights Volleyball Team Roles to 19th Victory of the Season!!!

The CCRI Lady Knights Volleyball team improved its recorded to a season high six games over .500 as they rolled past Holyoke Community College. The Knights recorded is now 19-13 as they beat the Cougars 30-24, 30-7, 30-18.

The first match of the night was a bit of a struggle for the Lady Knights. The Cougars came out of the gates hot as they matched the high powered Lady Knights point for point. However, the Lady Knights were able to pull away at the end to secure a 30-24 victory. From that point on the Lady Knights would make sure that would be the closest the Cougars got the rest of the evening. After a wake up call from Head Coach Ray DeAngelis, CCRI came out and showed why they are one of the best in the region with a solid 30-7 victory. The third set was much like the second set as the Lady Knights jumped out to an early lead and never looked back as they finished the three game sweep with a 30-18 victory.

The Lady Knights were led by their two terrific sophomores Jennifer Humphrey (Coventry, RI) and Ashley Markley (Preston, CT). Humphrey had another terrific game with 16 kills, three digs and three blocks, while Markley dished out another 21 assists to go along with two kills, two digs, two blocks and three aces.

Head Coach Ray DeAngelis said after the game, “This was an ugly win. We will be working hard in practice on Thursday to get us ready for our trip to Hagerstown this weekend where we will see several of the best teams in the country.”

CCRI Women’s Soccer Team Win’s 7th Game in Row!

The 11th ranked (NJCAA Division 1 national poll) CCRI women’s soccer team won its 7th game in a row yesterday against Manchester Community College with yet another shutout victory 4-0. With the win the Lady Knights move to 10-1 on the season. It was the Lady Knight’s 6th consecutive shutout victory and 7th consecutive win!

In the 11th minute of play the Lady Knights were awarded a free kick just outside the 18 yard box. Co-Captain Jill DeLuca (West Warwick, RI) took a beautiful free kick that hit off of the top crossbar of the goal and rebounded right to freshman Amy Torres (Warwick, RI) who shot the ball past the Manchester goalkeeper to give the Lady Knights a 1-0 early advantage. In the 41st minute freshman Jessica Collinson (West Kingstown, RI) scored her team-leading 12th goal of the season off of a nice corner kick from Amy Torres. Collinson put the ball in the net on a nice header shot that went right into the far corner up high into the goal.

It didn’t take long for the Lady Knights to get rolling in the second half as freshman Ashley Maisano (Bristol, RI) fired a nice high and powerful shot coming in from the left side of the goal on a nice pass from Jessica Collinson who was awarded the assist in just the 6th minute of play. Just 10 minutes later Jill DeLuca fired a wicked blast from about 20 yards out that rocketed right into the top of the goal to give the Knights a 4-0 advantage.

The Lady Knights defensive corps was once again flawless and stingy as they have not allowed a goal in the last six contests! Freshman goalkeeper Crystal Sullivan (Johnston, RI) recorded her second consecutive shutout victory in goal.

CCRI will travel to play a non-region contest against New Hampshire Technical College this Saturday and return home for a match with Mercer County Community College on Sunday at 12:00pm.

Knights Taken Down by Tough Tufts JV Team 4-2

The CCRI Knights men’s soccer team lost s very hard fought game to a very tough Tufts JV team 4-2. With the loss the Knights record drops to 3-6-1 on the season.

The Knights played the second of four games in eight days, needing to continue to improve their play and their overall record. The Knights were ahead early in the first half 1-0 but were unable to keep the lead and losing 4-2.

The Knights started the game very well opening the score on a nice header from Paul Wilson (Pawtucket, RI), assisted by Mike Conceicao (Cranston, RI). The scored remained 1-0 until Tufts tied it at 1-1 with one minute to go in the first half. Unfortunately the Knights also gave up an early goal in the second half and found themselves behind 2-1. The Knights were playing very well throughout the rest of the second half as Ian Sanborn (North Scituate, RI) scored the equalizer making the score 2-2 midway into the second half. The Knights were using that momentum to try and score the go ahead goal but were beat to the punch, as Tufts knocked in the go ahead goal with about nine minutes left. The Knights tried to extend their offense to gain the equalizer but Tufts was able to add one more to make the final of 4-2.

Head Coach Victor Gaspar said “We played some very good soccer throughout most of the game, but it was a span of about 15 minutes where we struggled to stay organized, that resulted in the loss. We need to regroup quickly and refocus for the last third of the season.”

The Knights next game will be Wednesday at 4pm when they travel to Bunker Hill CC in Boston.

Lady Knights go 5-2 at CCRI Invitational but fall in Semifinals to Southern Maryland record now 18-13.

The CCRI Lady Knights volleyball team defeated won five matches and lost two while hosting the CCRI Invitational over the weekend. The Lady Knights defeated CCBC-Essex, Morton College, Harcum College, and Howard CC twice but also lost to The College of Southern Maryland twice. With the victories and losses the Lady Knights improve their record to 18-13 on the season.

Match 1

CCRI DEFEATS CCBC ESSEX 30-10 and 30-16

Led by Captain Ashley Markley (Preston, CT) with 18 assists, three digs, two kills, two blocks, and two aces and middle hitter Amanda Valentine (West Warwick, RI) with five kills, five blocks, two digs, an assist and an ace. Everyone on the team got to see action and contribute in this contest.

Match 2

CCRI DEFEATS MORTON 30-22 and 30-16

Our friends from Chicago (Morton) came here looking to avenge a home loss to us earlier in the season but were stopped cold by the great play of freshmen Stephanie Marquez (Warwick, RI) with seven digs, six kills three blocks and three aces and Tia Becker (Providence, RI) with seven digs, five kills, four assists, a block, and an ace.

Match 3

CCRI DEFEATS HARCUM 30-11 and 30-19

This was an important win over one of the teams we will most likely be facing at district playoffs in November. Led by Captain Ashley Markley (Preston, CT) with 16 assists, six digs, three aces, and two kills and Amanda Valentine (West Warwick, RI) with five kills, four digs, and three blocks, and Jen Humphrey (Warwick, RI) four kills, three blocks, two aces and an assist.

Match 4

CCRI DEFEATS HOWARD 33-31, 27-30, and 15- 6

In the best match of the day the two most evenly matched teams, CCRI and Howard fought for every single point like the national championship was at stake. Leading the way for the Lady Knights, in what may have been her best game to date, was Captain Ashley Markley (Preston, CT) played some inspired volleyball charting 26 assists, six digs, three kills, two blocks and an ace. Also coming up big for this game were the Lady Knights two middle hitters Amanda Valentine (West Warwick, RI) with11 kills, four digs, two blocks, and an ace and Jen Humphrey (Warwick, RI) with nine kills, four blocks, three digs, and two aces.

Match 5

CSM DEFEATS CCRI 30-23 and 30-20

In the last round of pool play CCRI faced national power CSM in an early Sunday morning match that neither team seemed fully prepared for the Lady Knights were never able to get on track and take advantage of CSM’s flat play. This was evident as The Lady Knights only managed a team low of only 13 kills for the two-game match.

Playoff Round

Quarter finals

CCRI DEFEATS HOWARD 24-30, 30-23 and 15-7

The rematch proved every bit as exciting and well played as Saturday’s first match. After losing the first game coach DeAngelis challenged the Lady Knights’ players to “step it up and have some bodies hit the floor” and did they ever respond. It was the best defensive game of the year freshmen Ashley Mangione (Warwick, RI), she came up with an amazing 21 digs, several of them in spectacular fashion, which frustrated the Howard hitters. While Amanda Valentine (West Warwick, RI) simply owned the net: recording 10 kills and 8 blocks. In addition, Stephanie Marquez (Warwick, RI) had a great all around game with 10 digs, seven kills, three aces, and two blocks and Captain Ashley Markley (Preston, CT) handed out 22 assists and four digs three kills, a block, and an ace.

Semi Finals

CSM DEFEATS CCRI 30-18 and 30-25

CSM came out firing on all cylinders and looked every bit of the national level team they are. Defeating the Lady Knights in two straight games despite the efforts of Amanda Valentine (West Warwick, RI) who had eight kills, seven digs, five blocks, and an ace and Ashley Markley (Preston, CT) with nine assists, a kill, a1 block, and an ace.

Coach Ray DeAngelis said “the best comment of the day came from the CSM coach who remarked after the semi final match that she was afraid of us in the second game because as she said ‘it would have been easy for CCRI to just give up after losing the first game, but not one kid on your team ever stopped playing their hardest. You have a team with a lot of heart’”

The CCRI Invitational was won by The College of Southern Maryland who defeated American International College. Making the All-Tournament Team were: from Morton College Vanessa Davids, from CCBC-Essex Tiffany Wagers, from American International College Cambryn Williams, from the College of Southern Maryland Chantal Hebron, from CCRI Ashley Markley (Preston, CT), and Tournament MVP from the College of Southern Maryland Missy Chapman.

The Lady Knights’ next match will be Wednesday at 7pm when they will host Holyoke CC at the CCRI Flanagan Campus in Lincoln.

Lady Knights Beat Holyoke CC 2-0 to Improve Record to 9-1

The 13th ranked (NJCAA national poll Division I) CCRI women’s soccer team defeated the 13th ranked (NJCAA Division III national poll) Holyoke Community College Saturday, October 6th in Holyoke, MA 2-0. It was the team’s sixth win in a row and the fifth shutout victory in a row. CCRI is now 5-0 in Region XXI play.

It didn’t take the Lady Knights long to get on the scoreboard when they were awarded a corner kick in just the third minute of play. Co-Captain Sophomore All-American Stephanie Grassini (Warwick, RI) delivered a beautiful corner kick that was tapped in at the goal crease by freshman Amy Torres (Warwick, RI). With the assist, Grassini now has 14 on the season which is currently second best in the nation. Grassini, the team’s leading point-getter now has six goals and 14 assists for 26 total points. Soon after the goal, the Holyoke Cougars had a great scoring opportunity on a semi-break-a-way chance but freshman goalkeeper Crystal Sullivan (Johnston, RI) came out and snuffed out the chance on a daring play. This was Sullivan’s first appearance in goal of the season as she has been rehabbing and recovering from knee surgery. “Crystal has worked very hard to come back since pre-season with the help of the training staff and me. Crystal has been very patient and it has all paid off for her,” said Coach Bannan.” “Coach Bannan has always done an excellent job of training our goalkeepers, producing numerous All-Americans, “said coach Grassini.

The Lady Knights continued to pressure the Cougar’s defense throughout the first half but they just couldn’t seem to find the back of the net. Things didn’t change much as the second half was much the same as the first half as the Lady Knights dominated play but couldn’t convert on numerous opportunities. It wasn’t until the 41st minute into the second half until the Knights finally put the Cougar’s away for good when freshmen Ashley Maisano (Bristol, RI) scored the Knights second and final goal of the contest on a nice pass from Monique Grant (Scituate, RI). It was Maisano’s seventh tally of the season along with six assists giving her 20 points on the season. The Lady Knights defense was once again solid as they have not yielded a goal in the last five contests. The team has only given up eight goals on the season in 10 contests!

The Lady Knights’ next game will be Wednesday, October 10th as they travel to Manchester, CT for an afternoon game against Manchester Community College at 3:30pm.

Knights Start Slow but Come Back to Beat Holyoke 3-1

The CCRI Knights men’s soccer team defeated the Cougars of Holyoke CC 3-1 with the victory the Knights record improves to 3-5-1 on the season.

The Knights were down 1-0 in the first 15 minutes against a very physical Holyoke team, it looked like it was going to be a long game. It took the Knights 30 minutes to tie the game, on a beautiful goal from Ian Sanborn (North Scituate, RI) and an excellent assist by Travis Fraser (Blackstone, MA). In the second half The Knights took control of the game, playing some nice soccer. The Knights’ play was rewarded on an excellent cross from Fernando Vitorino (West Warwick, RI), which Mario Cidade (West Warwick, RI) finished without the ball ever touching the ground. Paul Wilson (Pawtucket, RI) iced the game on an excellent shot assisted by Kevin Randle (Lincoln, RI) with eight minutes to go to secure the Knight’s victory.

Head Coach Victor Gaspar said: “We played some very good soccer and continue to show improvement. The fact that six different players participated in the three goals in this game is a very good sign.”

The Knights next game will be Monday the 8th versus Tufts JV at the CCRI Flanagan Campus in Lincoln at 1pm.

Lady Knights Capture Fourth Straight Region XXI Title by Beating Bulldogs

The CCRI Lady Knights women’s volleyball team captured their fourth straight Region XXI title by defeating Region XXI rival Dean College 30-12, 30-8, and, 30-15. With the victory the Lady Knights also improve their record to 13-11 on the season.

The Lady Knights were led by Captain Ashley Markley (Preston, CT) who distributed the ball evenly among her teammates while racking up 29 assists, seven digs and an ace. Returning to the lineup after a two week absence Tia Becker (Providence, RI) made her presence felt as she recorded 10 digs, nine kills, three assists, three aces, and one block.

Coach Ray DeAngelis said “Having Tia back let us put everyone back to their normal positions and the positive results let us get the entire roster some extended playing time. Now that we know we will host the Northeast District playoffs Nov 3rd – 4th we will use the rest of the season to build towards our season goal of winning the District.”

The Lady Knights next matches will be this weekend when they host the CCRI Invitational at the CCRI Flanagan Campus in Lincoln on Saturday and Sunday starting at 9am. The Lady Knights will host New Hampshire Technical Institute, Dean College, CCBC-Essex, Southern Maryland, Howard CC, Springfield JV, Morton College, AIC JV, and Harcum College.

Go Lady Knights!!!

Knights and Dean Duel to Double Overtime 1-1 Tie

The CCRI Knights men’s soccer team dueled to a 1-1 double overtime tie with Region XXI rival Dean College (5-1-2). With the tie the Knights record now stands at 2-5-1. This was a very important game for the Knights who must now defeat Massasoit CC at home October 16th to still have a chance at a spot for the playoffs.

The Knights got off to a slow start. However, Knights Goalkeeper Cory Rocha (Riverside, RI) kept the Bulldogs from scoring early with a couple of excellent saves. Rocha finished the game with an amazing 14 saves which was very important in this tight 1-1 contest. From there the Knights gained confidence and took control of the match striking first in the 33rd minute on a goal from Paul Wilson (Pawtucket, RI) o n a beautiful assist by Fernando Vitorino (West Warwick, RI). The game began to see saw back and forth with both teams having chances and it was Dean that tied the game in the 27th minute of the second half on a goal from Ian Hunter assisted by Josh Franco. The Knights had the best of the opportunities in the overtimes but were unable to put it a goal in the net to secure victory.

Coach Gaspar said: “We continue to show signs of developing as a team but need to react quickly, as today marked the halfway point in the season.”

The Knights next game will be this Saturday October 6th when they travel to play Holyoke CC at 2pm following the Lady Knights who will play at noon.

13th Ranked Lady Knights down Massasoit CC 5-0 Improve record to 8-1 and 4-0 in Region XXI!

The 13th ranked CCRI women’s soccer team extended their winning streak to five games in a row by downing a much improved Massasoit CC team 5-0 yesterday in Lincoln. The victory was the Lady Knight’s fourth shutout victory in a row! With the win the Lady Knights improve their overall record to 8-1 and their Region XXI record to 4-0.

It didn’t take long for the Lady Knights to get rolling as freshman Ashley Maisano (Bristol, RI) scored in the 8th minute on a double-assist play from Co- Captain’s Jill DeLuca (West Warwick, RI) and Stephanie Grassini (Warwick, RI). Freshmen Jessica Collinson (West Kingston, RI) and the team’s leading goal-scorer, exploded for a “pure” hat trick scoring three goals in the next 33 minutes. Assisting on Collinson’s goals were Ashley Maisano, Taylor Barbosa (Fall River, MA), Amy Torres (Warwick, RI), and Stephanie Grassini. Collinson’s third goal was a blast into the top corner of the goal from about 20 yards out!

The first half scoring was rounded out by a free kick goal by Co-Captain and All-American Stephanie Grassini with just 3.5 seconds left to play. The Lady Knights were awarded a free kick on a Massasoit foul from about 22 yards out. Grassini placed the shot high into the top of the net over the out stretched Massasoit goalkeeper to give CCRI a 5-0 halftime advantage. Grassini continues to lead the Knights in scoring registering six goals and 13 assists for 25 total points.

In the second half the Lady Knights had a tougher time of it keeping Massasoit at bay as they came out as Coach Grassini stated “all fired up”! “You’ve got to give them credit as they came out determined not to give up another goal in this contest and they succeeded in doing so”, said Grassini. “Perhaps we were a little tired and sluggish after playing four games in six days; and we are nursing numerous injuries as well”.

Freshman goalkeeper Samantha Danielson (Pascoag, RI) played well again earning her fourth shutout victory of the season in six appearances bringing her GAA (Goals Against Average) down to a mere .36. “Sam made a few real quality stops” said Associate Coach Kathy Bannan who trains the goalkeepers. “In the first half she made a beautiful point blank save to keep the score 1-0”, said Bannan. Coach Grassini agreed stating “If Sam hadn’t made that save it could have been a whole different game!”

The Lady Knights will next travel to Holyoke this Saturday at noon for another tough game. Holyoke is now ranked 13th in the latest NJCAA Division III polls.

Lady Knights lose in second match to Hagerstown CC

Following elimination from the 2007 Harford CC, the CCRI Women’s tennis team faced off against Hagerstown CC, who had also been eliminated on Saturday. Hagerstown CC was one of the two Division I programs that participated in the Harford NIT. With the loss their team record is now 0-2.

Captain Lindsay Osborn (E. Greenwich) faced Tessa Doyle in a first singles pro-set. Osborn dropped the contest 8-0. Hannah Koski (Coventry, RI) faced Mia Doyle (Tessa’s twin) in second singles. Koski dropped the pro-set by an identical score of 8-0. Jill Putrino (Exeter/West Greenwich, RI) faced Theresa Mills in third singles. Putrino dropped the pro-set by a score of 8-5. Rounding out the singles play was Valerie Wean (Providence, RI) faced Larissa Guendel in fourth singles. Wean dropped the pro-set by a score of 8-2.

In doubles, Osborn teamed up with Koski in first doubles to face Leah Mellott and Amber Hendershot. Osborn and Koski dropped a hard-fought contest 6-4, 6-3.Wean and Putrino teamed up to face Theresa Mills and Brittany Shadrach dropping the match 6-0, 6-2

Head Coach Deb Panzica said: “Despite the results this weekend, it was a tremendous effort against opponents that have had a minimum of five matches to this point and who have had established programs. Building a program from the ground up will have its struggles. We are building CCRI tennis, for the better!”

Lady Knights lose in their inaugural match to Harford CC

After just two weeks of practice and without a match under their belts as of yet, the CCRI Lady Knights women’s tennis team in their inaugural season, traveled to Belair Maryland where they participated in the fourth Annual Harford CC NIT. The Lady Knights matched up against some of the better Division III junior college players in the Northeast as well as some Division I players as well.

Lady Knights Captain Lindsay Osborn (East Greenwich, RI) faced the eventual tournament first flight champion Stephanie Krupa of Gloucester CCC (Sewell, NJ) in a first singles pro-set. Osborn dropped the contest 8-1. Valerie Wean (Providence, RI) faced Anastoshia Lewis from tournament host Harford CC in second singles. Wean dropped the pro-set by a score of 8-0.

Jill Putrino (Exeter/West Greenwich, RI) faced Ruth Condro from Harford CC in third singles. Putrino dropped the pro-set by a score of 8-4. Rounding out the singles play was Hannah Koski (Coventry, RI) who faced Kristen Wade of Harford CC in fourth singles. Koski dropped the pro-set by a score of 8-3 in a match that was much closer than the score suggests.

Osborn teamed up with Putrino in first doubles, again facing the eventual tournament champions, this time Frances Ferdinand and Maria Andrade from Cecil CC, one of the two Division I teams in the tourney. Osborn and Putrino dropped a hard-fought contest 8-4. Wean and Koski teamed up to face Vanessa Pierre and Jessica Fleming from Mercer CC in second doubles and took the match to a 9-7 final, before succumbing at the end to the more experienced team.

Head Coach Deb Panzica said: “All-in-all it was a terrific showing given the amount of time we have had to prepare in this it’s inaugural season for Women’s tennis. We will continue to build on this experience and advance CCRI tennis, for the better!”

Lady Knights win two at Genesee Tournament, Valentine makes All-Tourney Team

The Lady Knights women’s volleyball team traveled to Genesee to play a two day tourney on Friday night and Saturday. They were still down two players: Katie Fleming (Riverside, RI) out on an injury and Tia Becker (Providence, RI) out on personal reasons. The Lady Knights won two matches but lost four against some of the top Division II talent in the nation.

Game 1

CCRI loses to St. Clair 27-30, 27-30, and 21-30

The Lady Knights got off the long bus ride to play a previous National winner St Clair CC out of Michigan. They lost 27-30, 27-30 and 21-30. The Lady Knights played great right off the bat. Co-Captain Ashley Markley (Preston, CT) had 27 assists, four kills, and four blocks. Amanda Valentine (West Warwick, RI) had 17 kills, 11 digs and six blocks. Jen Humphrey (Warwick, RI) had 13 blocks, 11 kills, and 10 digs. Stephanie Marquez (Warwick, RI) had 11 digs, five kills, and four blocks. With the loss their record is now 10-8.

Game 2

CCRI loses to Hagerstown CC 17-30, 19-30, and 25-30

Immediately after the Lady Knights’ loss to St Clair they played another top-notch team of Hagerstown CC. We lost 17-30, 19-30 and 25-30. Regardless of the score The Lady Knights hung very well with this very powerful team. Co-Captain Ashley Markley (Preston, CT) had 17 assists, four kills and four blocks. Amanda Valentine (West Warwick, RI) had 10 Digs, nine kills, and seven blocks. Jen Humphrey (Warwick, RI) had 11 Blocks and 8 kills. Stephanie Marquez (Warwick, RI) had 9 digs, four kills, and 3 blocks. With the loss the Lady Knights record is now 10-9.

Game 3

CCRI defeats CCBC-Catonsville 26-30, 30-18, 30-10, and 30-15

After a night of much needed rest the Lady Knights were matched against CCBC-Catonsville early Saturday morning. They came out a little sleepy in the first game and lost 26-30. The Lady Knights had a short huddle between games and woke up as a team and won the match. They won 26-30, 30-18, 30-10, and 30-15. Co-Captain Ashley Markley (Preston, CT) had 39 assists, 11 digs, and four kills. Amanda Valentine (West Warwick, RI) had 17 digs, 16 kills and 11 blocks. Jen Humphrey (Warwick, RI) had 17 kills, eight digs and seven blocks. Stephanie Marquez (Warwick, RI) had 13 digs, 11 kills, eight assists, and four blocks. With the win the Lady Knights improved their record to 11-9.

Game 4

CCRI loses to Genesee CC 22-30, 24-30, and 19-30

Our last game in pool play was against Genesee. This was their first look at one of their chief rivals in the District. The Lady Knights were calm and played "their game" against them.

Even though they lost 22-30, 24-30 and 19-30, coach DeAngelis was very happy with their play. Co-Captain Ashley Markley (Preston, CT) had 19 assists, nine digs, five blocks, and two kills. Amanda Valentine (West Warwick, RI) had 10 kills, eight blocks, and six kills. Jen Humphrey (Warwick, RI) had five kills and four blocks. Stephanie Marquez (Warwick, RI) added nine digs, five kills, and two blocks. With the loss their record dropped to 11-10.

Game 5 Quarter-finals

CCRI defeats Howard 30-27 and 30-21

The tourney was so strong and the teams were splitting matches which allowed the Lady Knights to advance to the quarter finals with a 1-3 tourney record. In the quarter finals they played against Howard. This is the first time this year that we had the opportunity to play their friends from Howard who they got friendly with at an earlier tournament. The Lady Knights were psyched up to finally get to play against them. The Lady Knights won 30-27 and 30-21. Co-Captain Ashley Markley (Preston, CT) had 20 assists, nine digs, and five kills. Amanda Valentine (West Warwick, RI) had 12 digs, 11 kills, and four blocks. Jen Humphrey (Warwick, RI) had nine digs, seven kills, and two blocks. Stephanie Marquez (Warwick, RI) added eight digs, five kills, four assists, and four blocks. With the victory the Lady Knights record improved to 12-10.

Game 6 Semi-finals

CCRI loses to Hagerstown CC 15-30 and 18-30

Winning against Howard advanced the Lady Knights to the semi finals were we were up against Hagerstown again. The Lady Knights were obviously exhausted from playing best of five matches throughout this two day tourney. Up to this point they had played 15 matches under 24 hours. However, the Lady Knights dug deep and impressed Coach DeAngelis with their play. Even though the scores are low there were very long rallies and each point was hard earned by both teams. The Lady Knights lost 15-30 and 18-30. Co-Captain Ashley Markley (Preston, CT) had five assists, three, kills, three blocks and two digs. Amanda Valentine (West Warwick, RI) had eight digs four kills, and two blocks. Jen Humphrey (Warwick, RI) had two digs, two blocks, and a kill. Stephanie Marquez (Warwick, RI) added three kills, three digs and two blocks. With the loss the Lady Knights record dropped to 12-11 on the season.

For her outstanding weekend Amanda Valentine (West Warwick, RI) was selected to the All- Tournament Team.

The Lady Knights nest match will be Wednesday October 3rd when they host Region XXI rival Dean College at 7:00pm at the CCRI Flanagan Campus in Lincoln.

CCRI Runners Have a Good Showing in CCRI Invitational

On a perfect Saturday morning to run the CCRI Men’s and Women’s Cross Country team hosted a ten team invitational race on the CCRI campus in Lincoln, RI. The Knights did not have enough runners to compete as a complete team however the individuals that ran as did extremely well.

The Knights were led by freshmen runner James Sylvestre (Lincoln, RI) who ran the CCRI 8k (5 miles) course in 27:04 which placed him in third. The CCRI course has been modified in design since Ron Guenard won the NJCAA Northeast District Championship last year but Sylvestre’s time is by far faster then any other CCRI runner on this course. Kevin Mann (West Warwick, RI) placed 55th in a time of 34:16. Mann was followed by Chris Allegretta (Warwick, RI) in 57th in a time of 34:34. The men’s race was won by Forest Wilbur of Worcester State in a time of 26:22.

The CCRI women were once again led by second year runner Kristin Vanhouwe (North Smithfield, RI) who placed 17th with a time of 22:44. Kristin was once again followed closely by first year runner Michele Finnel (Providence, RI) who finished in 19th in a time of 23:03. Katie Clukey (Smithfield, RI) once again shows improvement running her best time over the 5k (3.1 miles) distance placing 56th in a time of 26:44. The fourth lady from CCRI running in her first ever cross country event Heather Bettencourt (Providence, RI) traverse the challenging course in 32:38 for a 62nd place finish.

The Knights and Lady Knights are back in action this Saturday October 6th in the James Early Invitational at Westfield State at 11:00am.

Lady Knights Defeat #8 Ranked (DIII) STCC to Improve record to 6-1

The 12th ranked (NJCAA & NSCAA Div. 1 National polls) CCRI Women’s Soccer team won their third game in a row by defeating # 8 ranked Springfield Technical CC (Division III) on their home field 3-0. It didn’t take long for the Lady Knights to put the Rams behind the eight ball as sophomore Co-Captain Jill DeLuca (West Warwick, RI) scored on a header from a beautiful corner kick from All-American Co-Captain Stephanie Grassini (Warwick, RI) in just the second minute of play.

As the game progressed the Lady Knights controlled the play throughout by beating Springfield to just about every ball. In the 34th minute the Lady Knights team leading goal scorer freshman Jessica Collinson (West Greenwich, RI) tallied her 8th goal of the season on an assist from freshman Ashley Maisano (Bristol, RI) to give CCRI a 2-0 advantage going into the second half of play.

As the second half began things were not much different as the Lady Knights continued to dominate play but failed to convert on numerous scoring opportunities. However, in the 28th minute co-captain and All-American Stephanie Grassini (Warwick, RI) scored on an unassisted goal that she placed high into the top of the net on a beautiful shot from 20 yards out. Grassini beat two defenders on a beautiful individual effort, down the left flank and blasted the ball that seemed to have eyes into the net over the outstretched jumping leap over the Springfield goalkeeper. Grassini led all CCRI scorers on the day registering a goal and an assist.

Even though freshman goalkeeper Samantha Danielson was only tested on a few occasions she snuffed out a few dangerous Springfield scoring opportunities to record her 2nd shutout and 4th win of the season.

Lady Knights Handily Defeat Hesser College 8-0, win 4th in a row record 7-1

The CCRI Women’s soccer team continued their winning ways on Sunday defeating Hesser College 8-0 at the Lincoln Campus soccer complex. The Lady Knights put on an offensive show in the first half of play racking up six unanswered goals. CCRI really came out flying and utilized their speed, skill, and defensive abilities to take command right from the start.

Things were not much different in the second half as the Lady Knights simply just passed the ball around the defenseless, tired, and weary Hesser team. Freshman Jessica Foss (East Providence, RI) recorded a hat trick scoring three goals. Ashley Maisano (Bristol, RI) and Co-Captain Jill DeLuca (West Warwick, RI) each had two goals a piece and Co-Captain and All-American Stephanie Grassini scored another. Freshmen Amy Torres (Warwick, RI), Jenny Baldwin (Lincoln, RI), and Nicole Kufel (Oradell, NJ) each had two assists on the day while freshman Katy Gregory (West Warwick, RI) and sophomore Co-Captain Stephanie Grassini each had one assist. Grassini now leads the Lady Knights in scoring with five goals and 11 assists for 21 total points in eight games played. Co-Captain Jill DeLuca is a close second registering eight goals and three assists for a total of 19 points.

Freshman Goalkeeper Samantha Danielson (Pascoag, RI) recorded her 3rd shutout and fifth win of the season. The Lady Knights will play their fourth contest in six days Tuesday at the Lincoln Campus as they face off against Regional rival Massasoit Community College at 3:30pm.

October 2007

10.29.07

10.25.07

10.24.07

10.22.07

10.19.07

10.18.07

10.17.07

10.15.07

10.11.07

10.09.07

10.08.07

10.04.07

10.03.07

10.01.07