West Hartford, Conn. (October 24, 2023) - The Golden Bears traveled to the University of Hartford to battle the Hawks for their final regular season game of the year. The Hawks' Imani Jenkins would net two goals and lead the Hawks to a 3-0 win over the Golden Bears.

Records:

• Western New England: 9-4-3 (6-1-1)
• University of Hartford: 12-2-0 (9-0-0)

How it Happened:

Hartford kicked off the game. The Golden Bears' goalkeeper was Molly McLaughlin to start the game, and the Hawk's goalkeeper was Sejal Johnson. The Golden Bears were first to get a shot on goal. In the 3rd minute, Isabella Montalvo took a shot that was saved in the lower left corner of the net. Hartford countered a few times without a shot. However, in the 6th minute, Ishani Sharma sent a shot at goal, but it was blocked by the Golden Bear defense. In the 13th minute, Kathleen Brush sent a shot at net that Molly McLaughlin made a save on. Sharma went for a shot again, but the Golden Bear defense was there again for the block. The 18th minute saw the pressure increase for the Hawks. Brush had a shot saved by McLaughlin in the center of the net. Then, Imani Jenkins had a shot blocked by the Golden Bear defense. After that, Christina Stone would send a pass to Leah Barbieri, who then sent a shot at the goal. The shot got past the WNE keeper and defense, and the Hawks had the opening goal, 1-0. Hartford kept the pressure on with a shot in the 20th minute from Victoria Jedrychowski. McLaughlin was able to make the save. Brush had another shot in the 24th minute, but it was saved by McLaughlin. Lindsay Reidy would answer with a shot in the 26th minute. However, it was blocked by the Hartford defense. That led to Hartford making a run toward the WNE goal and Brush having a shot blocked before the shot got to the net. Jenkins had a shot in the 29th minute that led to McLaughlin having to make a save. Jenkins had another shot in the 35th minute, but the WNE defense blocked it. Stone would take a shot after that block, but McLaughlin was there for the save again. The Golden Bears would counter with Stephanie McKenna getting a shot on net in the 36th minute. Johnson would make a second save to keep the Golden Bears without a goal. The 39th minute saw the Hawks double their lead. Imani Jenkins scored the goal on another Christina Stone assist. The Hawks were back on the attack in the 41st minute when Rebecca Opdenbrouw had a shot saved by McLaughlin. The final shot of the half was in the 44th minute when Mayson Massaro sent a shot at McLaughlin that was saved. At the break, the Hawks had more shots (15-3), shots on goal (10-2), corners (5-0), and fouls (4-1). The Golden Bears had more saves (8-2). The score was 2-0, with Hartford in the lead at halftime.

Carina Joslin would enter the game and become the WNE goalkeeper after the halftime break. The Golden Bears kicked off the second half. However, it did not take long for Hartford to extend their lead over the Golden Bears. Imani Jenkins scored a second goal in the 49th minute to push the lead to 3-0. The 56th minute saw Jenkins go for another goal, but the shot missed wide right of the net. Brush had a shot in the 58th minute go high and left of the net. The Golden Bears and Hawks would battle without another shot until the 72nd minute. Sharma had the next shot for the Hawks, but the Golden Bear defense was able to block the shot. Barbieri followed that shot up with a shot at Joslin. Joslin made the save and kept the deficit at three goals. Opdenbrouw went for goal quickly after Barbieri, but Joslin was there for another save. Jenkins had another opportunity at a goal in the 82nd minute, but it went off of the left post. Christina Stone followed that shot with one that Joslin saved. Mayson Massaro had a shot in the 83rd minute, and it went high and right of the net. The 85th minute saw Cameryn Wilkinson have a shot that missed high of the net. Then, in the 86th minute, Morgan Egan had a shot blocked by the WNE defense. The game would end after two more Hartford shots. Barbieri had a shot saved by the WNE defense, and Lindsey Metcalfe would have a shot blocked by the Golden Bear defense. The game ended with the Hawks winning 3-0. The final stat line had the Hawks lead in shots 28-3, shots on goal 15-2, corners 8-0, and fouls 6-2. The Golden Bears led in saves 12-2.

Inside the Lines:

• The Golden Bears headed to West Hartford, Connecticut, to take on the Hawks of the University of Hartford.
• The first goal of the game was in the 19th minute from Leah Barbieri, who scored on an assist from Christina Stone. Hartford led 1-0.
• The second goal was in the 39th minute when Imani Jenkins scored on an assist from Christina Stone. Hartford led 2-0.
• Imani Jenkins scored again in the 49th minute to make the score 3-0, Hartford. There was no assist on the goal.
• Sejal Johnson had two saves during the game.
• Molly McLaughlin had eight saves, and Carina Joslin had three during the game.
• The Hawks beat the Golden Bears 3-0.

Up Next on the Schedule:

• WNE will go into the CCC tournament as the overall number-one seed and will have a bye for the first-round CCC tournament game on Saturday, October 18. The date of their next game is to be determined.
• The University of Hartford will host the University of Southern Maine tomorrow, October 25, at 4:30 PM for their final regular season game.