Sports Roundup: Girls' Soccer Beings Tonight; Football, Boys' Soccer In Action

The Narragansett Mariners' girls' soccer team will begin their title defense tonight with a return of some familiar faces, although they've lost a few more players beyond the usual graduations.

Those graduating seniors include starters Katie Riley and Julia Slikowski, 12^th woman Hannah Lindsley, and reserves Delaney SanMartino and Elizabeth McGovern. Riley was a first team Division III-Central selection, and SanMartino received the team's sportsmanship award.

However, the Mariners are also missing several other players. Forward Carla Porras, who scored the winning championship goal, is not on the team's roster, and junior Maggie Salomone is out with an injury. According to a family member, Salomone actually played the last half of the last soccer season and all of the basketball season with an undiagnosed muscle tear.

The Mariners still return a formidable midfield though. Jaclyn Iannucci and Emily Wright, both seniors now, were also first team Division III-Central selections. Juniors Chandley Lemay and Dolci Wagner are also back, looking to improve on strong sophomore seasons. Both were starters in the Division III championship game, along with senior goalkeeper Liz Castro.

Head coach Kathryn Mahoney said that although her team has lost some players, she still expects them to compete in the division.

“We lost five seniors, but we have a large group of returning players,” she said.

When asked if she had thought about petitioning to move to Division II, Mahoney said she thought the Mariners were in the right division. She noted that when she played, they decided to move to a tougher division, which also unfortunately coincided with several graduations.

“Once you realign, there's not much wiggle room,” she said. “It's incredibly challenging to move.”

In 2010, the Mariners finished atop Division III-Central, with 12 wins and 27 points. In contrast, their opponent Friday, Davies Technical School, doesn't have much of a soccer tradition.

Davies finished 3-11 last year. The Patriots have not had a winning record in seven years of Division III play, and last posted a winning season in 2003, when they were in Division IV. Last year's three wins was a backtrack from 2009, when they won four times, their highest Division III win total.

So far, the Mariners have only have played in practices, scrimmages and Injury Fund exhibitions. Narragansett beat Division II Tiverton but lost to Portsmouth at the Middletown Injury Fund last weekend.

Friday's game starts 4 p.m. at Davies. For directions, click here. The Mariners first home game is Thursday, as they host Rogers at 4 p.m. They also play 4 p.m. Tuesday at Shea.

Other Teams In Action Today

• The Narragansett High School football team will look to rebound from a 26-0 Injury Fund loss last week to Division II Westerly. The Mariners have another Division II foe tonight, facing off against the Chargers at Chariho. Kick-off is at 7 p.m.
• The boys' soccer team hosts the Coventry Oakers at the high school. The varsity game starts at 3:45 p.m., followed by junior varsity at 5:15 p.m.
• The girls' tennis team will finally get their regular season underway today, as rainy weather all of this week forced multiple postponements. The Mariners travel to Portsmouth for a game at 3:30 p.m. Narragansett then plays at South Kingstown 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, before hosting their first match 3:45 p.m. Thursday vs. Westerly.
• In middle school sports, the boys' soccer team played at Westerly Middle School 4 p.m. today. The Mariners' first home game is 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, as they host Msgr. Clarke. The girls' soccer team has an inverse schedule – They host Westerly at 4 p.m. today, and travel to Brousseau Park in East Matunuck for a game against Msgr. Clarke on Tuesday. Boys' cross country starts on Sept. 23.

News and Notes

• The Westerly Sun has a full write-up of Wednesday night's game between the Bulldogs and Narragansett. Westerly dominated time of possession in a game on a sloppy, messy field. However, the pendulum swung the other way for a wild junior varsity game. According to results posted on the RIIL website, the two teams tied 5-5.
• The boys' and girls' cross country teams start their seasons Monday. Chariho and West Warwick will be at the high school with their squads for a 4 p.m. meet.