University of Richmond Athletics
Soccer Enters A-10 Fray This Weekend
10/02/2014 | Women's Soccer
After a 6-5 non-conference start to the season, Richmond women's soccer will finish the season with eight games in Atlantic 10 Conference play, starting this weekend. The Spiders will travel to Pittsburgh to face Duquesne Friday night at 7 p.m. before hosting St. Bonaventure Sunday at 1 p.m.
The Spiders lead the league with 22 goals scored, already surpassing last year's season goals total. UR is also only one of five A-10 programs to capture six or more wins heading into conference play.
Individually, Richmond has the top two point-scorers in the league. Redshirt freshman Meaghan Carrigan (Greenville, South Carolina) leads the A-10 with eight goals scored. She has one assist to tally 17 points. Junior Ashley Riefner (Mechanicsville, Virginia) is the league's top point sorer with six goals and six assists for 18 total points. She has a three-goal performance and one three-assist match already this season. Riefner's six goals put her in a tie for third in that category in 2014. Her six assists are tied for second in the league to junior teammate Shannon Colligan (Greenwich, Connecticut), who leads the league with nine assists to this point of the season.
Duquesne sits at 3-5-2 so far this season. The Dukes have found the net nine times, with Maddie Layman leading the team with three goals. The Dukes have only allowed 15 goals for the season, pitching five shutouts and themselves suffering a shutout. Goalkeeper Devon Tabata has a goals-against average of 0.93 this season. Neither team scored in the two ties the Dukes have played this season.
St. Bonaventure has posted a 4-5-1 mark in 2014, with an equal 10 goals scored and allowed this year. The Bonnies have not won (0-3-1) on the road this season, but will open the league schedule at home Friday against Davidson before heading to Richmond for the Sunday match. Six different Bonnies have a goal scored this season, with Danielle Vis putting in three this year. Goalkeeper Christina Sarokon also has a stout goals-against average, at 0.76 in nine starts. She has four shutouts, including a scoreless tie at Robert Morris in early September.
The Spiders' six wins through 11 matches tie the most since an 8-2-1 start in 2008 and only the second time with as many wins through 11 contests since a 6-3-2 start in 2011.
