Springfield, Mass. (October 1, 2023) - The Golden Bears returned to conference play on Sunday after the rain pushed the game from Saturday. The Golden Bears hosted the No. 24 ranked Nor'Easters of the University of New England in a rematch of last season's CCC Championship game. The Golden Bears received an early first-half goal from Isabella Montalvo and were able to hold onto that lead until the end of the game, winning 1-0.

Records:

• Western New England: 5-2-2 (3-0-0)
• University of New England: 4-2-3 (2-1-0)

How it Happened:

The game got underway with Molly McLaughlin in net for the Golden Bears and Sydney Gillingham in net for the Nor'Easters. It was a quick start to the game, as in the 2nd minute, UNE earned a corner kick. However, WNE would defend it, and in the 5th minute, Isabella Montalvo would score and put the Golden Bears ahead by a score of 1-0. Montalvo received the ball on the left side of the field. Montalvo dribbled in, through a defender, and sent a right-footed show past the UNE keeper and into the back left side of the net. After the early goal from the Golden Bears, the play settled down. The teams worked the ball back and forth. Neither team really generated a major shot opportunity for 20 minutes. That was until Brynn Murphy sent a shot right at the UNE keeper in the center of the net. It was saved by Gillingham. The 28th minute saw Tori Keyessend a shot to the bottom right side of the net. McLaughlin would make the save. Lindsey Butler followed that up with a shot in the 29th minute that McLaughlin saved in a similar spot. The Golden Bears would not wait to answer as Murphy sent a shot at Gillingham that was saved in the 30th minute. Gabby Sansone got a shot off in the 34th minute. However, it was high and wide right of the net. The ball worked its way to each side of the field. However, the defense stood strong for both teams, and the ball kept getting turned over to the other team. Within the final five minutes of the half, the Golden Bears had one more shot opportunity from Sansone. However, it was off-target, and the half would end with the Golden Bears hanging onto a narrow one-goal lead. The first half saw shots favor the Golden Bears, 5-2. Both keepers had two saves. UNE had the sole corner kick of the half, and WNE was more penalized with four fouls compared to the two from UNE. It was a hard-fought first half, and it looked like the fans would be in for a great second half.

The second half started with a UNE shot 29 seconds in by Keyes. That was followed by three Emily Martin shots. Each of the first four shots were off-target. However, the Nor'Easters were gaining momentum, and the Golden Bears were trying to hang on to the lead. Abby Free gained momentum for the Golden Bears as they powered through the storm and got a shot at the keeper, Gillingham. Gillingham made the save and kept the score as was. Keyes matched the shot in the 54th minute. McLaughlin made the save. Martin and Keyes kept sending shots toward the net; however, the Golden Bears were doing a good job limiting the angles and forcing off-target shots. The 68th minute saw Keyes send a shot to the right side of McLaughlin. McLaughlin made the save.

The 69th minute saw Hannah Niles send a shot at McLaughlin, who made the save and kept the Golden Bear lead alive. Liza Pinette would send a 72nd-minute shot at the net. Gillingham was there for the save. Niles followed that up with another shot for the Nor'Easters, but McLaughlin was there for the save again. The Nor'Easters were gaining momentum and were trying to power through the Golden Bear defense. However, McLaughlin was not making a mistake. Keyes put a shot on net in the 80th minute. McLaughlin was there for the save. The Golden Bears would get a shot off less than a minute later, as would the Nor'Easters in the 87th minute. However, neither was on the goal, and the game would end with the Golden Bears hanging onto the 1-0 lead. The final stats showed the Nor'Easters shot the ball 16 times compared to the eight from the Golden Bears. Seven shots from the Nor'Easters got to McLaughlin, and seven were saved. Five Golden Bear shots got to Gillingham, and four were saved. UNE had all six of the corner kicks, and there were eight fouls from each team during the game. The Golden Bears stayed undefeated in conference play by winning 1-0.

Inside the Lines:

• WNE hosted UNE in a rematch of the 2022 CCC Championship game.
• Isabella Montalvo scored an early goal in the 5th minute of play.
• Sydney Gillingham made four saves.
• Molly McLaughlin made all seven saves.
• The Golden Bears defeated the Nor'Easters 1-0.

Up Next on the Schedule:

• WNE will travel to Westfield State University on Wednesday, October 4, at 7:00 PM for their next game.
• UNE will return to Maine and play at Husson University on Wednesday, October 4, at 5:30 PM for their next game.