Written By:  Thomas Costello  |  WPSL Correspondent

Photo By:  Matthew Levine

 

On Saturday, July 22, the WPSL Playoffs head to its final weekend. All the regional matches are settled and the last four WPSL clubs remaining will play for a spot in the WPSL Championship game on Sunday, July 23.

Of the four teams represented, one side might be enjoying the journey most of all. Although it hails from the smallest state in the country, the Rhode Island Rogues might be the biggest story.

Founded in 2018 by soccer player and owner Shannen Kennawi, the Rogues are an independent team in every sense of the word. Not only is it not part of a larger youth club infrastructure, the players don’t pay any dues to compete with the Rogues. For Kennawi, it’s not the reason for the WPSL side’s existence who says “we’re simply here because we love the sport.”

The former collegiate two-sport star in soccer and softball started the team after there was no longer WPSL representation in the state. Since then, playing every match, every season, since the club’s inception, the player-owner wiped the player title from her biography and moved exclusively to running the ins and outs of the team – now, that teams’ gone further than Pelletier and the Rogues have ever imagined.

During Rhode Island’s first two seasons, the club sat in the bottom half of its conference table. However, since returning to play in 2021, following the canceled 2020 season due to COVID-19, the competitive side of the Rogues was on an upward trajectory.

​Photo By: Matthew Levine

This season, Rhode Island finished ahead of Vermont in the regular season, although the Rogues never beat Vermont in league play. Even after outperforming Vermont over 10 matches, Clarkstown Soccer Club surprised the conference, leaping both sides to pick up an automatic spot in the 2023 WPSL Playoffs.

For Pelletier and the Rogues, who never made a playoff round, it had one last chance to make the playoffs – a wildcard matchup for the final spot in the East Region. Rhode Island needed one win to make club history, and it was against a Vermont Fusion team who’s never lost to the Rogues

With the higher point total in the regular season, Vermont traveled to Rhode Island for the high-stakes matchup. This time around, fortune was on the side of Kennawi’s Rogues, who scored the match-winning goal in the third minute thanks to a one-time effort by forward Jaydah Bedoya (West Virginia). Following 87 minutes of clean-sheet defense, Kennawi didn’t have much to say.

“I was completely speechless,” Kennawi said. “To even say we made it to playoffs, I was crying, a hot mess. I was saying, ‘since day one, I’m just so proud of you to make it this far.’”

This Far went even further. Rhode Island traveled south, to New York, for a match-up against Reading United A.C from the Mid-Atlantic Conference. The Rogues dispatched the Pennsylvania side 3-1 and had yet another in-conference foe ahead of them – Clarkstown Soccer Club, the team Rhode Island finished behind in the Northeastern Conference.

Photo By: Matthew Levine

“In years past, we beat them but this season we tied them at home and the last game we played them they beat us,” Kennawi said. “They’ve got brilliant girls on that team. They just did a great job recruiting this year. They obviously run a great program.”

Kennawi and Rhode Island walked into the Regional Final nervous with the overall vibe going into the match described best by the team owner, “this might be a bit rough.” 

Despite early nerves, a halftime pep talk from midfielder and on-field team leader Paige Forster put the Rogues in a better mindset. Forster admitted the team looked bad in the first half, but knew they were better. A simple statement, but it motivated the tight-knit Rogue squad.

In the 56’ minute, forward Katelyn Vieira (Massachusetts-Lowell) gave Rhode Island the lead. With Clarkstown holding possession at midfield, Vieira tackled the ball away from the defense and ran alone toward the goal. With only the goalkeeper to beat, Vieira hit a shot into the bottom left corner of the net to put Rhode Island ahead.

Unlike its match against Vermont though, Rhode Island couldn’t keep the conference champions off the scoreboard. The equalizing goal came at a tough time – in the first minute of second-half stoppage time.

Clarkstown forward Kelly Brady (Ole Miss) stood near the back post, and after a perfect cross into the penalty area, headed in the match-tying goal. It looked like a match that was destined for extra time.

With each side playing two times that weekend, Kennawi added player back to her title and dressed for the match. The idea was that if the side needed healthy and rested players, she could step in. After all, Kennawi still trained with the team and stayed in competing shape despite moving exclusively to ownership.

​Photo By: Matthew Levine

However, Rhode Island didn’t need the boss to step on the field because, before the end of stoppage, the Rogues punched its ticket to Oklahoma.

In the 93’ minute, Rhode Island won a corner and defender Rebecca Lancaster (Louisiana Tech) volleyed the set piece as it deflected off the Clarkstown defense. Lancaster followed through on the bouncing live ball to head it into the net to keep the miraculous playoff run alive.

“I was so excited, once the whistle blew, I was freaking out,” Kennawi said.

Now, the team filled with returning Rogues, college players, former professionals and USA youth internationals has potentially two more matches this season. Starting with a match-up against the Charlotte Eagles, a team that’s been one of the more successful in the WPSL in recent years. Regardless of the outcome, Kennawi’s Rogues are living in a dream season.

“They’ve gotten to where they’ve gotten because they believe in themselves,” Kennawi said. “So lucky and blessed to have the girls who decided to stick with us. The biggest thing is not me choosing them but them choosing to believe in me.”