Renegades roll past Stingrays
BOSTON, MA -- The Boston Renegades rolled past the visiting Stingrays Friday night, downing Rhode Island 11-1 on a pair of hat-tricks from Meghan Welcome and Rebekah Splaine.
The Renegades put on a stellar performance on their home turf at Bowditch Stadium. The Renegades put themselves on the score board in the fifth minute of the game. Top goalscorer Munoz started the rally for the Renegades with a shot from inside the 18-yard box. Meghan Welcome was to double the Renegades lead within two minutes with an equally impressive strike.
The Renegades piled on the pressure on the hapless Stingrays defense, which lead to Splaine’s goal in the eleventh minute. Munoz was in the thick of the action and passed the ball through to Splaine who finished with consummate ease. Stacey Stocco got her name on the score sheet when she blasted a shot from the 18-yard line in the twenty-sixth minute.
Splaine then struck again in the thirty-third minute, when Welcome crossed the ball, right onto Splaine’s foot, who then plucked the ball out of the air, and rifled it into the back of the net. Munoz then scored her second of the night, when she broke away from two defenders and buried the ball into the back of the net. Sarah Rahko got her first goal of the net when she placed the ball perfectly by the goalkeeper to make the score 7-0 at halftime.
Coach Rob Risley made substitutions in the second half; Caitlin Fisher came into the game replacing Maura Robertson and birthday girl Ellen Daly came in for Molly Dane. Welcome scored her second goal of the game in the fifty-ninth minute, when French International Zoe Avner played a great ball into her.
Kara Frederick scored her first goal of the night, when her shot ricocheted of an unfortunate Stingrays defender past the hapless goalkeeper. Welcome, then earned her hat trick when she scored in the eighty-second minute, with a pass from Splaine. Splaine followed suit three minutes later when she scored her third goal of the game.
The Renegades defense did not get the shut out, Rhode Island came down the field in the eighty-eighth minute, and snuck the ball by Ashley Phillips to earn themselves one goal for the night, which made the final score 11-1.
Coach Risley commented on his team’s performance, he said, “It was a very good professional performance, and it was nice for the crowd to see us play good soccer. It was also pleasing to see our practices coming to fruition on the field. That gives any coach pleasure, seeing his players transform their daily work to a game situation.”
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