Toll Gate graduates Alyssa Silvestre and Kayleigh Zelano are currently suiting up for the Rhode Island College women’s soccer team this fall, with both former Titans attempting to put their best foot forward for the Anchorwomen despite adverse results on the pitch. Silvestre is in the midst of her freshman campaign and faced a battle for playing time early on, only making four appearances through October 5th, but earned a starting berth for the team’s 5-1 defeat of Dean on August 31 as well as the past three games against UMass-Dartmouth, UMass-Boston and Simmons. Her first start was a just reward for the effort that she put in the previous day in a 5-3 setback to Colby-Sawyer, in which she found the back of the net with her first collegiate shot in the 88th minute of play to close out the scoring. After figuring in the first pair of games of the season, Silvestre did not see the field again until the Anchorwomen’s 3-2 defeat to Regis on September 17 before coming off the bench two days later against Keene State, logging a season-high 50 minutes. In the past three starts, Silvestre has yet to score, but has recorded three shots on goal.

Meanwhile, Zelano reclaimed her starting berth along the RIC back line after opening the season on the bench, being named to the first eleven for nine straight matches dating back to a September 7 meeting with Salve Regina. In the 3-1 upending of the Seahawks, the junior defender made a rare foray into the attack and took one of her two shots thus far on the campaign, with her effort sailing wide of the Salve goal with five minutes left in the first half. Zelano’s other attempt on goal came nearly three weeks later on September 25 against Curry, with the Colonel goalkeeper watching her 71st minute shot sail over the crossbar as the Anchorwomen took 22 shots on the day but fell to a 3-1 defeat. The setback was the fifth during RIC’s eight-game losing run, which had a beginning to forget on September 10 courtesy of a 10-0 hammering by Wesleyan in which the Cardinals scored three times inside the first 140 seconds. The Anchorwomen were successful in snapping the streak when they hosted Fitchburg State in a non-league tilt.

RIC currently sits at 4-12 overall, and will be playing its season finale on Oct. 26 against Southern Maine.

Last spring, Warwick native Madison Nicynski emerged as one of the leading offensive talents on the Mitchell College softball team and is now turning her attentions to the beautiful game this fall for the Mariners. The La Salle alumna joined a squad that had nowhere to go but up after a 2018 season that ended with a 1-14 overall record and endured a dozen shutouts, eight of which were by at least five goals. Nicynski has done her part in helping Mitchell improve, scoring a pair of goals while racking up four assists, placing herself toward the top for the team lead in the latter category. She was instrumental in the Mariners’ 3-2 overtime victory over Northern Vermont-Lyndon on September 14, setting up Lindsey Fairbank’s equalizer in the 47th minute before putting Mitchell 2-1 ahead off her own foot 19 minutes later. Currently at 4-10 on the season, the Mitchell eleven will be looking to finish strong in its final two games of the season against Lesley and Dean.