The St. Bonaventure women’s soccer team  extended its season long winning-streak to three games with victories over Niagara and Canisius this past weekend.

The Bonnies (3-6-1) kicked off the weekend at home with a 4-3 win over the Purple Eagles (5-4) on Friday, followed by a 3-2 win over the Griffins (2-8) on the road Sunday.

St. Bonaventure got off to a slow start in Friday’s match, letting up an early header in the 15th minute to Kayla Picano.

The Bonnies didn’t take long to answer, however, as just seven minutes later Abby Maiello evened the score with a laser from more than 20 yards away into the top right corner.  Jordan Calabria added another goal right before the break to give St. Bonaventure a 2-1 lead at the half.

The Bonnies never looked back.

After adding two more goals early in the second half to make the score 4-1,  two late defensive lapses allowed Niagara to put a scare into St. Bonaventure, cutting the lead to 4-3. .

Sophomore Brittany Charles led the offense with three assists on the day.

On Sunday, the Bonnie’s extended their winning streak to three with a late-game rally to beat Canisius.

An early goal left St. Bonaventure’s down until the 52nd minute, when senior Shannon Van Riper tied the game on a penalty kick.

The teams exchanged leads yet again until the 82nd minute when until Molly Curry put the Bonnies ahead for good on shot that beat goalkeeper Megan Tock

St. Bonaventure begins Atlantic 10 play this weekend with games against La Salle and Fordham.

VCU Knocks off the Tribe

William & Mary saw its six-game winning-streak come to an end last Thursday, when  Virginia Commonwealth outplayed the team in a close 2-1 battle.

The Tribe (7-3)  showed just how potent their offensive attack was, bombarding the Rams (5-2-3) keeper with seven shots in the first 10 minutes.

W&M eventually found the net, when Nicole Baxter snuck one past VCU goalie Kristin Carden (five saves).

The Rams knotted the game at one all, in the 33rd minute, when Courtney Conrad scored off a  no look pass from junior Brianne Moore.

William & Mary had a chance to regain the lead on a penalty shot, but the Ram’s keeper  stood on her head, saving not only the penalty shot, but the immediate rebound shot that followed.

VCU’s defense was busy at work again after halftime, when W&M launched another offensive onslaught, which the Ram’s strong defense was able to successfully withstand.

After almost 50 minutes of scoreless soccer, Conrad struck again with the game winner in the 80th minute off of a corner kick from sophomore Christin Granados. The ball bounced off of a defender before Conrad hammered home the loose ball in the box.

Following a 2-1 win Sunday against Old Dominion, the Rams look to continue their success against A-10 rivals Charlotte and George Washington this week.

URI leading A-10

The Rhode Island women’s soccer team  is leading the overall standings among Atlantic 10 teams after capping a strong non-conference slate with a 3-1 victory Friday night over Albany.

The Rams (7-3-1) wasted no time getting on the board when Jennifer Barrientos bent a corner kick past the Great Dane goalkeeper Alana Brennan.  URI never looked back, maintaining the lead for the rest of the contest.

Rhode Island played solid defense on the Albany (3-7-1) attackers all game long, only allowing one shot on net throughout the match and only three shots total.

The only blemish came when the Great Dane’s Allison Carhart  outhustled the Ram’s defenders, and buried one in the net,  narrowing the score to 2-1 in the 48th minute.

Senior captain Maggie MacDonald added an insurance goal for URI in the 74th minute, when she placed a shot in the top left corner from about 20 yards away.

The Rams made the most of their offensive opportunities, capitalizing on the seven corner kicks that the Albany defense gave them.

Rhode Island opens A-10 play at home this Friday night against Xavier.

Cody Prudhomme can be reached at [email protected].