Rivier's Brianna Spinelli moves against the Salem defense during the Raiders win Saturday at Joanne Merrill Field. (Photo courtesy of Rivier Athletics)

NASHUA – The Rivier field hockey team shutout non-conference foe Salem St. 7-0 Saturday morning at Joanne Merrill Field. Five different Raiders registered a goal in the contest.

With the win, the Raiders improved to 1-2, while the Vikings fell to 0-2.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Rivier controlled the pace of play in the opening corner, outshooting Salem St. 6-0. The Vikings defense held firm, holding the Raiders scoreless after the first 15 minutes.

Rivier continued to apply offensive pressure in the second quarter. Junior Kelsey Bain found senior Brianna Spinelli to break the deadlock just shy of seven minutes into the frame. Sophomore Camdyn Despres doubled the Raiders’ lead four minutes later off a feed from first-year Kali Judkins.

Rivier’s fire carried over into the second half, as the Raiders netted five goals in the third quarter. Despres registered her second on a pass from Spinelli. First-year Lauren Bailey scored an unassisted tally before Despres found twine for the third time, giving Rivier a five-goal advantage. Judkins found Bain for her second assist of the morning. First-years Ava Friberg and Emily Barbosa linked up to round out the scoring and take a 7-0 lead.

The Vikings threatened late in the fourth quarter, earning a penalty corner with under two minutes to play, but were unable to convert. The Raiders’ defense held off any further pressure from Salem St., sealing the 7-0 victory.

BOX SCORE BREAKDOWN

First-year goalkeeper Tatum Flanagan earned her first career-shutout in between the posts.

As a team, Rivier outshot the Vikings 31-1 (25-0 SOG).

UP NEXT

The Raiders return to the field Thursday, Sept. 10 for a non-conference meeting with Fitchburg St. The game is scheduled to begin at 6:00 p.m. at Joanne Merrill Field.

WOMEN’S SOCCER

RIVIER 1, SUFFOLK 1

Junior midfielder Leah Morrier scored the equalizer in the 88th minute to help the Raiders earn a hard-fought 1-1 draw in their home opener against the Suffolk Rams.

With the result, the Raiders moved to 0-1-1(0-0-0 GNAC) and the Rams moved to 0-0-2 (0-0-0 CNE).

HOW IT HAPPENED

Suffolk opened the scoring in the fifth minute, as the Rams found the back of the net just beyond the reach of Olivia Rosario.

The Raiders had a quick chance to counter but were unable to capitalize on a close chance by Julia Acampora that went just wide of the right post.

Lily Garey-Wright acted as a strong defensive presence throughout the first half and prevented two close scoring chances for the Rams.

Sophomore Bailey Gatchell added to the Raiders’ close chances with a shot that ricocheted off the post.

The Raiders and Rams continued battling with both goalies adding numerous saves before ending the half 1-0 in favor of the Rams

The action continued into the second half with multiple scoring chances for both the Raiders and Rams

Gatchell continued to generate various offensive opportunities for the Raiders throughout the second half.

In the 88th minute, Leah Morrier scored for the Raiders off a free kick just outside the 18-yard box. Suffolk attempted to retake the lead in the last three minutes but struggled to get through the strong Raiders defense.

BOX SCORE BREAKDOWN

Morrier scored Rivier’s lone goal.

Morrier and Gatchell both had three shots, two of them on goal.

Rosario faced nine shots by the Rams and made eight total saves.

The Raiders finished with 10 total shots, including four on goal.

UP NEXT

Rivier women’s soccer will travel to Danbury, Conn. to face the Wolves of West Conn. (1-0-2, 0-0-0 LEC) on Tuesday at 7 p.m., in a non-conference matchup.

WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL

RIVIER 3, WESTERN CONNECTICUT STATE 2

The Rivier women’s volleyball team defeated Western Connecticut State University (WestConn), 3-2 (25-22, 25-18, 20-25, 23-25, 15-12), Saturday afternoon at Kenyon Hall.

With the result the Raiders improved to 1-3, while the Wolves fell to 0-3.

HOW IT HAPPENED

WestConn opened with a 3-0 lead before junior Savannah Dunne put Rivier on the board with an assist from classmate Lily Seibel. The Wolves extended their advantage to 6-1, but the Raiders answered with kills from senior Sam Driend, sophomore Fiona Rexford, first-year Ashlee Salafia, and first-year Ava Pohopek to pull within 9-6. Rivier continued to chip away, with Dunne and Driend providing kills as the Raiders eventually tied the set at 21-21. Driend registered three kills down the stretch to help take set 1, 25-22.

WestConn scored the first two points, but Rivier responded with six straight points to take a 6-2 lead. The Wolves rallied to tie the set at 6-6 before the Raiders regained control behind kills from Salafia, Driend and Pohopek to lead 14-10. WestConn closed within two, but Rivier maintained its advantage and moved ahead 18-14 on a kill from Seibel. The Wolves used a pair of kills to trim the deficit to three at 19-16, before a pair of bad sets helped Rivier extend its lead to 21-16. Driend and Dunne added late kills, and Pohopek closed the set, 25-18, on a dish from Seibel.

WestConn once again took an early set lead, opening with a 5-0 run. The Raiders countered with kills from Rexford and Dunne however, a 5-0 Wolves stretch put them in front 13-4. Rivier answered by tallying the next nine of 11 points, closing the gap, 15-13. Despite several runs down the stretch, WestConn’s early separation put the set out of reach, bringing the contest to a fourth set.

The Raiders got out to an early in the fourth, taking a 3-0 lead as a result of two attacking errors and a service ace from Seibel. The Wolves quickly countered, scoring the next six of eight points to take a 6-5 set lead. Driend, Pohopek and Salafia put Rivier ahead 11-7. WestConn chipped away at the Raiders’ lead and then propelled themselves ahead, 20-17, thanks to a 5-0 run. Both teams traded points until a trifecta of errors forced a fifth and deciding set.

Rivier came out quickly, opening with a 4-0 lead. The Wolves worked their way back into the set, eventually tying it 6-6. The Raiders went on a 5-0 run in the middle of the frame, putting the set out of reach and sealing the match, 15-12.

BOX SCORE BREAKDOWN

Driend and Dunne led the offense with 15 and 11 kills, respectively.

Seibel contributed 40 assists as well as a match-best .875 hitting percentage.

Four different Raiders logged double-digit digs, with sophomore Mollie Miner leading the charge with 15. Seibel added 14 and Driend and junior Lacey Turner recorded 11 apiece.

UP NEXT

The Rivier women’s volleyball team return to the court Thursday, Sept. 10 for a non-conference road match with Framingham St. The opening serve is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. at Logan Gymnasium.