Dudley, Mass. (October 18, 2023) - The Golden Bears traveled to Dudley, Massachusetts, for a midweek contest with the Bison of Nichols College. With both teams coming off weekend wins and the regular season starting to come to an end quickly, both teams were looking for another win. There were opportunities on both ends of the pitch, but neither team could capitalize, and the game would finish as a 0-0 draw.

Records:

• Western New England: 4-6-5 (4-1-2)
• Nichols College: 7-5-3 (2-2-3)

How it Happened:

The game started with Braylon Casinghino in net for the Golden Bears and Franco Barreto Santana in net for the Bison. Nichols kicked off the game and had the first shot. A shot from Tristan Phillips would miss wide left of the net. Shay O'Neill answered that with a shot in the 3rd minute, but it went over the net. William Pugliese-Savage then had a shot blocked by the Golden Bear defense in the 4th minute. Then, the 6th minute saw Brady Stevenson have the first shot on goal of the game. Casinghino would get in the way for the save. O'Neill answered again in the 9th minute, but again, the ball went high of the net. The 12th minute saw Sean Lanzillo go for goal for the Golden Bears. That ball went high, as well. Mike Riley had the first shot on goal for the Golden Bears in the 13th minute. It was saved by Barreto Santana. It was redirected to Matt Spruill, who sent the shot wide right of the net. The Golden Bears started to find their footing and had two shots in the 15th minute. Riley had the shot blocked, but Spruill got the shot off. It would sail high over the net. The 18th minute saw the Bison get back into the game with two quick shots from Phillips and Headges-Small. Both shots got to Casinghino. Casinghino would make both saves. Nichols was starting to feel the momentum swing in their favor as Phillips had a shot blocked, and then Aidan Ferguson had a shot saved by Casinghino. 

After a quick start to the game, the defense would settle in, and the game would not see another shot until the 32nd minute. Noah Johnson received the corner kick from a teammate and sent a shot left of the goal. That was answered in the 33rd minute by O'Neill. O'Neill went for goal, and Franco Barreto Santana made the save in the lower left corner of the net. Sean Lanzillo followed that and missed wide left of the net. The ball went back and forth for a few minutes before Nathan Salamon had an opportunity for a shot and sent it right of the net. Johnson tried for a goal, as well, for the Bison. However, it was blocked by the Golden Bear defense. The 44th minute saw the same result, and it would be the final shot of the half. Both teams were knotted at zero goals per side. The first half ended with Nichols ahead on shots 11-9, shots on goal 4-2, and corners 5-2. The Golden Bears had more saves 4-2 and more fouls 5-4. Both sides saw major opportunities, and both were hoping to get the game-winning goal in the second half.

The Golden Bears kicked off the second half. However, it was Nichols' Ethan Gosper who had the first shot in the 47th minute. Casinghino made the save to keep the score level. Riley answered seconds later for the Golden Bears, and it went high. The Golden Bears started to put pressure on the Bison. Milazzo sent a shot at Barreto Santana that was saved. Lanzillo had a shot on goal a minute later, and Barreto Santana made the save again. Jake Thibodeau had a shot on goal in the 54th minute that Barreto Santana made a save on to keep the score level. Lanzillo had a shot, as well, off the save. Barreto Santana made that save, too. Barreto Santana was making save after save and keeping the Bison in the game. The Golden Bears kept putting pressure on the Bison, but that led to an opportunity for Phillips on the other end of the pitch. However, Casinghino made the save on the free-kick shot attempt. The 66th minute saw the Golden Bears get reduced to ten men and play the rest of the game that way. The Bison took advantage of the shift in momentum and started to get more shots off in the second half. Stevenson and Ethan Knowles both had shots blocked by the WNE defense. Malik Serisser would answer with a shot that missed high of the net. Phillips had a shot in the 71st minute miss the target high and right. Mike Riley then had another shot for the Golden Bears that Barreto Santana had to save. That was followed by AJ Quiterio going for goal in the 75th minute. Barreto Santana made the big save. Then, Pugliese-Savage had an opportunity in the 80th minute to put the Bison ahead by a goal, but Casinghino was there to keep the game scoreless. The final shot of the game was from Salamon in the 86th minute. That shot would not worry Casinghino as it went left of the net. The game would end with both teams tied at 0-0. The final stat line saw shots favor the Bison 18-17. Shots on goal flipped in favor of the Golden Bears 8-7. Corner kicks flipped, as well, with the Golden Bears having nine and the Bison having seven. Fouls were led by the Golden Bears by a score of 13-10, and saves were flipped in favor of the Bison by a score of 8-7. Both teams battled, and in the end, they both finished the game taking a point each. 

Inside the Lines:

• WNE headed to Nichols College for a matchup with the Bison.
• There were no goals scored during this tough contest.
• Franco Barreto Santana made eight saves for the Bison.
• Braylon Casinghino made seven saves for the Golden Bears.
• The Golden Bears and Bison tied 0-0.

Up Next on the Schedule:

• The Golden Bears return to Springfield for their final regular season home game. They will take on Endicott College on Saturday, October 21, at 2:30 PM.
• The Bison will head to the University of Hartford for their next game. That game will be held on Saturday, October 21, at 4:00 PM.