SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Senior Mike Stewart (Springfield, MA) netted the game-winner in the 59th minute as top-seeded Western New England College blanked fifth-seeded Colby-Sawyer in a semifinal round match of The Commonwealth Coast Conference (TCCC) Men's Soccer Championship Tuesday (Oct. 30) afternoon at Suprenant Field.

The Golden Bears (12-5-2) will host third-seeded Wentworth (13-4-1) in the conference championship final at 1:00 p.m. Saturday (Nov. 3). The Leopards tied second-seeded Roger Williams 0-0 after two overtimes, but advanced after having a 3-2 edge in penalty kicks.

Western New England College and Colby-Sawyer battled to a 0-0 draw after the opening half, before Stewart ( team captain and former standout at nearby Cathedral High School) fired home his fourth goal of the season (and second game-winner) from the left side. Junior Tony Rosa (Ludlow, MA) assisted on the winning goal.

Senior goalkeeper Steve Hennessey (Essex Junction, VT) finished with four saves for the Golden Bears to earn his seventh shutout while freshman keeper Will Berry (Berlin, VT) stopped seven shots for the Chargers.

This was a well-played, but hard-hitting match with 29 fouls (15 for WNEC and 14 for Colby-Sawyer) as both teams kept up the pressure the entire contest.

Western New England College has captured eight matches by a single goal this fall, including 1-0 decisions over Colby-Sawyer in the regular season meeting and University of New England in TCCC quarterfinals. All five of the Golden Bears' losses have been by a single goal.

Colby-Sawyer falls to 10-8-2 in what could be the team's final match of the season pending a possible invitation to the ECAC New England Division III Tournament.