Springfield, Mass. (October 22, 2023) - The Golden Bears welcomed in the Gulls from Endicott College for a Sunday match. The play went back and forth from team to team, but Hunter Perry would score a goal in the first half that would prove to be the game-winning goal and put the Golden Bears atop the CCC standings.

Records:

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

How it Happened:

The Golden Bears kicked the game off. Braylon Casinghino was in net for the Golden Bears. Kevin Pelletier was in net for the Gulls. Endicott got started quickly with a shot from Conor Rooney going on net, and Casinghino had to make the save. Mike Riley had the first Golden Bear shot in the 10th minute, but it was blocked by an Endicott defender. Fisher Mills answered with a shot on goal in the 16th minute. Casinghino was equal to the task and made a save. Malik Serisser had a shot blocked in the 17th minute. Then, Mills had a shot in the 20th minute that Casinghino made another save on. The game would move on with both teams moving the ball back and forth, but Endicott did have more of the possession. In the 31st minute, Tiago Frazao had a shot blocked by the WNE defense. The same happened to Cole Fergusson, who had a shot in the 32nd minute. Fergusson got a shot on net in the 34th minute, but Casinghino was there for another save. Lanzillo sent a shot over the net in the 37th minute. After a big save on a shot by Aidan Sheehan by Casinghino on one side of the pitch, the Golden Bears found themselves with an opportunity in the 39th minute.

Mike Milazzo fed a pass to Hunter Perry. Perry took a few touches around the defenders and sent a right-footed shot past the keeper, and it rolled into the back of the net for a Golden Bear goal. WNE had the 1-0, and after a 45th-minute shot by Frazao, the Golden Bears went into halftime with the lead. The shots in the first half favored the Gulls 8-4, with shots on goal being 6-1 in favor of the Gulls. Endicott had five corners, compared to the one by WNE. WNE was a little more physical with five fouls compared to the two from Endicott. The Golden Bears had six saves at the half.

The second half started with Endicott kicking it off. It started with a quick shot in the 48th minute from Fergusson. Casinghino made the save. Fergusson went for goal again in the 55th minute. However, Casinghino was there again for the save. Fisher Mills had a shot go wide left in the 61st minute. The teams would go back and forth. Endicott had some runs that the Golden Bear defense had to deal with to keep the lead alive. The Golden Bears tried to counter, but the Gulls kept their shape and kept pushing the ball back into WNE territory. It seemed as though the Gulls would strike, but then the WNE defense would take the ball away, and the opportunity was gone. There was not another shot until the very end of the game when, in the 90th minute, Hunter Perry made a move and ran down the left side of the pitch; Perry moved the ball to the right foot and sent a hard shot at net that bounced off the crossbar. The Golden Bears would hold on for the final minute and win the game 1-0. The final stats saw the Gulls lead in shots 11-6, shots on goal 8-2, and corner kicks 8-1. The Golden Bears had more saves 8-1 and more fouls 8-5. With that win, the Golden Bears clinched the CCC regular season title.

Inside the Lines:

• WNE welcomed the Gulls of Endicott College to campus for a Sunday showdown.
• Hunter Perry scored the game-winning goal in the 39th minute. Mike Milazzo was credited with the assist.
• Kevin Pelletier made one save.
• Braylon Casinghino made eight saves.
• The Golden Bears beat the Gulls 1-0.

Up Next on the Schedule:

• The Golden Bears will head to the University of Hartford for their final regular season game of the year. That game will be Tuesday, October 24, at 7:00 PM.
• The Gulls will return home for a game against the University of New England. That game will be on Tuesday, October 24, at 4:00 PM.