Springfield, Mass. (November 1, 2023) - The Golden Bears hosted the Fighting Scots in a CCC Women's Soccer Tournament Semifinal matchup. The last time the teams played this season, Gordon was able to best WNE by a score of 2-0. This time, the Golden Bears scored three goals in the first half and one in the second to ensure a spot in the CCC Championship game, 4-0.

Records:

• Western New England: 10-4-3 (6-1-1)
• Gordon College: 10-5-4 (4-1-3)

How it Happened:

The Golden Bears took the field for their CCC semifinal game with Molly McLaughlin in net. The Fighting Scots took the field with Emily Bengtson in net. WNE would kick off play and immediately go on the offensive. Emma French had a shot in the 2nd minute that Bengtson saved. That was quickly followed up by Gabby Sansone having a shot saved by Bengtson in the 3rd minute. The 7th minute saw Isabella Montalvo have a shot blocked. That led to a corner kick that saw Maria Butrimas get a shot from, but it was blocked, as well. That led to another corner kick. This time, the corner kick sailed in from Gabby Sansone, and Lindsay Reidy got on the end of the kick to send the ball into the back of the net and give the Golden Bears the early 1-0 lead in the 8th minute. After the Fighting Scots restarted action, the ball went from side to side before settling with the Fighting Scots for two shots that McLaughlin had to make saves on. Kristi DiRico and Eowyn Lapp had those shots on McLaughlin in the 12th minute. In the 13th minute, Jordan Paré sent a cross to Reidy in the penalty area. Reidy controlled the pass, stepped up, and sent a low shot past the Gordon College goalkeeper to double the Golden Bear lead. WNE was now leading 2-0.

After the goal, the game moved on, with both teams sending the ball back and forth. Alexa Weindorf had the next shot for the Fighting Scots in the 18th minute, but it missed wide left of the net. Sansone followed up that shot with one that Bengtson had to save. Then, in the 24th minute, Isabella Montalvo sent a shot at Bengtson that Bengtson was able to push away for the save. However, the ball rebounded directly to Paré, who slotted home the third goal of the afternoon for the Golden Bears. The score was 3-0. The Golden Bears had another major opportunity in the 27th minute when Liza Pinette had a shot bounce off the left post. Ashley Collins then had a shot on Bengtson in the 29th minute. Bengtson made the save. The Fighting Scots countered with a shot from Jesse Skov, who had the shot blocked. After some back and forth, Ada Forbes had a shot saved by McLaughlin. Lily Ford followed that shot with one that was blocked by the Golden Bear defense in the 37th minute. Montalvo was the next to get a shot off. In the 42nd minute, Montalvo saw the shot go high and wide of the net. That would prove to be the final shot of the first half. The stat line showed the Golden Bears lead 12-6 in shots taken, 8-3 in shots on goal, and 2-0 for corner kicks. The Fighting Scots led in saves 5-3 and fouls 7-5. The Golden Bears took a 3-0 lead into the halftime break.

After the break, the Fighting Scots kicked off. Ava Forbes-Smith had the first shot of the half in the 48th minute. It went high and wide right of the net. Then, after some back-and-forth play, Lapp had a shot that tested McLaughlin, but McLaughlin made the save. Lily Ford then had a shot in the 58th minute that missed the net. The Fighting Scots kept the pressure on with a shot from DiRico that McLaughlin had to save in the 60th minute. Ada Forbes followed that with a shot that went wide of the net. In the 66th minute, the Golden Bears flipped the second-half script and went on the offensive.

Brynn Murphy flew down the right side of the field, got the ball inside the penalty area, and sent a quick pass across to Pinette, who quickly sent the ball crashing into the back of the net. The Golden Bears had a 4-0 lead in the middle of the second half. Murphy had a shot in the 75th minute that missed wide left of the net. Lapp then had a shot in the 77th minute, which was blocked. After that, the ball traveled back and forth from team to team, but in the 87th minute, DiRico had a shot at McLaughlin that was saved. Then, the final shot from either team came in the 90th minute. Lapp had the shot, and McLaughlin made the save. That is how the game would end. The final stat line saw the teams even on shots taken 14-14. The Golden Bears led in shots on goal 9-7 and saves 7-5. The Fighting Scots led in corner kicks 4-3 and fouls 14-10. The Golden Bears won the game by a score of 4-0.

Inside the Lines:

• The Golden Bears welcomed the Gordon College Fighting Scots to Springfield for a CCC tournament semifinal matchup.
• The Golden Bears got the first goal in the 8th minute. Lindsay Reidy would score off a Gabby Sansone assist. Golden Bears led 1-0.
• Lindsay Reidy scored again in the 13th minute. Jordan Paré was credited with the assist. Golden Bears led 2-0.
• Jordan Paré would net the next goal for the Golden Bears in the 24th minute. Isabella Montalvo had the assist. Golden Bears led 3-0.
• Liza Pinette had the final goal of the game in the 66th minute. Brynn Murphy was credited with the assist. Golden Bears led 4-0.
• Emily Bengtson made five saves.
• Molly McLaughlin made seven saves.
• The Golden Bears beat the Fighting Scots 4-0.

Up Next on the Schedule:

• WNE will move on to the Women's Soccer CCC Championship game on Saturday, November 4. That game will be at home, at Suprenant Field. The opponent and time are to be determined.
• Gordon College finishes their season with this game. They finished with an overall record of 10-5-4 and a conference record of 4-1-3.