Springfield, Mass. (September 1, 2023) - The WNE Women's Soccer team returned to the pitch for the first time in 2023, looking to go to back-to-back NCAA tournaments. They started their campaign by hosting Western Connecticut State University at Suprenant Field. The Golden Bears would take control early and stay in control by getting to a 3-0 lead. However, the Wolves would mount a comeback but come up shy, and the Golden Bears would take the game 3-2.

Records:

• Western New England: 1-0-0 (0-0-0)
• Western Connecticut State University: 0-1-0 (0-0-0)

How it Happened:

The Golden Bears took the pitch at Suprenant Field for the first game of their 2023 campaign with Molly McLaughlin in the net. On the other side of the pitch, Kasey Donnelly guarded the goal for WCSU. The game would start with a Keara Conroy shot floating high of the net. Then, a little while later, Lindsay Reidy went for goal with a shot that missed to the right of the net. Adriana Alfano put the first shot on goal with a shot that McLaughlin saved easily. Then, Emma French sent the ball toward the lower left corner of the net but was denied by Donnelly. WNE would hold onto most of the control of the ball. French would get another shot off into the same direction, but Donnelly was equal to the task again. Eventually, the Golden Bears' determination would pay off as Sophomore Gabby Sansone, would find the ball after a cross sitting in the penalty box. Sansone put a boot on the ball, and the ball found the back of the net. Golden Bears had the lead in the 11th minute, 1-0.

The Wolves responded with four shots in the next ten minutes of play. Three of the shots were on net, but McLaughlin kept them all away from the back of the net. Jordan Paré would then put another shot on net for the Golden Bears. Donnelly made the save, though. The Golden Bears started to regain control, and Reidy would see another shot opportunity, but it would be off-target. The 28th minute saw a Wolves defender take down a Golden Bear in the penalty box, setting up a penalty shot for the Golden Bears. Abby Free stepped up, took a deep breath, and blasted it past the keeper into the back of the net on the left side of the keeper. The Golden Bears had a 2-0 lead. The ball would travel back and forth, and each team would get a shot off, but neither shot got close to the net. In the 34th minute, the Golden Bears had a chance, but Donnelly denied Conroy's shot to the center of the goal. The ball would stay away from the net for the rest of the half, and the Golden Bears would take a 2-0 lead to the break. WNE had ten shots in the first half, whereas WCSU had six. Both goalies made four saves in the half. WNE was penalized seven times compared to the five penalties against the Wolves. 

After the break, the Wolves made a change in goal, with Gracen Regan entering for Donnelly. After the start of the half, Sansone would get a quick shot off, but nothing that would worry Regan. Isabella Montalvo would also get a shot off, but it was blocked. The Golden Bears controlled the ball and kept pushing forward, hoping for another goal. They kept pushing forward and had opportunities, but nothing materialized. Murphy and Paré both had chances, but Regan was not put to the test. That was, until the 73rd minute of the game when the pressure finally got to the Wolves. Liza Pinette saw the ball fall to the ground and put a tough kick on the ball. Standing to the left of the goal, Pinette had a difficult angle from around the top of the penalty box but sent a screamer past the goalie and into the back of the net. The Golden Bears had the lead 3-0. That would not deter the Wolves, though. They kept fighting. A shot from Suzana Imetovski worried McLaughlin for the first shot on goal of the half for the Wolves. The second shot on goal would breathe life into WCSU. Myah Croze got a pass from Adriana Alfano and drove the ball past McLaughlin and into the upper part of the net. The Wolves had grabbed a goal back and were trailing by two. The Wolves felt their pressure getting to the Golden Bears and kept attacking.

The Golden Bears would try to advance, and Pinette would get a shot off, but nothing that worried Regan. As the clock got closer and closer to the 90th minute, the Wolves got hungrier and hungrier. Suddenly, the ball entered the Golden Bears' penalty box on a cross. After McLaughlin tried to clear the ball, it hit a player and bounced to the ground, where a few Golden Bears tried to clear the ball, but after a scrum, Myah Croze could get a foot on the ball and get it past McLaughlin. As the ball rolled into the net, the Golden Bears saw their lead dwindle to only one. With three minutes left to play. The Golden Bears tried desperately to hold possession and keep the ball in the WCSU half of the pitch. Eventually, their hard work would pay off as the clock ticked to zero and the full 90 minutes had been played. The Golden Bears were victorious in their season-opener by a score of 3-2. The Golden Bears had the majority of the shots, with 18 out of the 30 taken during the game. Both teams had seven shots on the goal, WCSU had four of the six corners, and WNE was penalized 12 times compared to the seven called on WCSU. The Golden Bears are now 1-0 on the season.

Inside the Lines:

• The Golden Bears opened the season at home against Western Connecticut State University. 
• Gabby Sansone opened the scoring with the first goal of the season in the 11th minute of play.
• Abby Free notched her first goal of the season on a penalty kick in the 28th minute.
• Liza Pinette picked up her first career WNE goal in the 73rd minute.
• Myah Croze then got the Wolves back in the game with two goals. One in the 78th minute of play, assisted by Adriana Alfano, and the second scored in the 87th minute.
• The Golden Bears won 3-2, with Molly McLaughlin picking up five saves.

Up Next on the Schedule:

• WNE will continue their three-game home stretch when they welcome Springfield College to campus on Wednesday, September 6, at 4:00 PM.
• WCSU will return home to welcome Johnson & Wales University. That game will be on Sunday, September 3, at 2:00 PM.