Box Score Box Score

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Sophomore midfielder Lindsay Lalonde (East Middlebury, VT) scored the game-winner just 4:40 into the second half as the Western New England College field hockey team continued its last season surge with a thrilling 2-1 victory over Endicott in a quarterfinal round game of The Commonwealth Coast Conference (TCCC) Championship Saturday (Oct. 30).

This was the fifth consecutive victory for the fourth-seeded Golden Bears who evened their record at 10-10. WNEC also defeated Endicott 1-0 back on September 18 in Beverly, Massachusetts.

The fifth-seeded Gulls (11-8) took an early 1-0 lead when sophomore forward Hannah Thornburg (Oakland, ME) scored her team best 13th goal of the season with an assist from sophomore forward Taylor Matties (Saratoga Springs, NY) four minutes into the contest.

Western New England College tied the game on the third goal of the year by senior forward Kaela Jalbert (Turner, ME) at the 18:52 mark. Freshman midfielder Jayne Mueller (Colorado Springs, CO) earned the assist.

Lalonde then delivered one of the biggest goals of the season for the Golden Bears with a shot from the right side that hit the pad of sophomore goalie Taylor Teixeira (Exeter, NH) and bounced into the net. It was her fourth goal of the season.

Endicott had a 14-9 advantage in shots with several coming in the final five minutes.

The Golden Bears' defense didn't get rattled as sophomore defender Shelby Van Huysen (Killingworth, CT) cleared away several attempts down the stretch while sophomore goalie Kaitlyn Hall (Pawtucket, RI) made two clutch stops with 3:30 left in the game. Hall (who has a 7-2 record) finished with 11 saves (seven in the second half) while Teixeira compiled five saves.

Western New England College will visit top-seeded New England College (who had a first-round bye) at 5:00 p.m. Wednesday (Nov. 3) in a semifinal round game.

In the other game Saturday, third-seeded University of New England defeated sixth-seeded Gordon 3-1.