South Hadley, Mass. (September 13, 2023) - The Women's Soccer team went on the road for the first time this season. They headed to Mount Holyoke College to take on the Lyons, looking to stay undefeated on the year. The game started well for the Golden Bears, with a goal being scored in the fourth minute of play. However, Mount Holyoke would equalize twice in the second half, and the game would end in a 2-2 draw.

Records:

• Western New England: 2-0-2 (0-0-0)
• Mount Holyoke College: 2-0-1 (0-0-0)

How it Happened:

After rain poured down for a lot of the day, the sun came out, and the teams were able to take the field for this midweek non-conference matchup. Molly McLaughlin led the Golden Bears onto the field, while Evie Krieg did the same for the Lyons. The game got off to a great start for the Golden Bears as they maintained possession early and pushed the ball down the field. In the 4th minute, Jordan Paré received the ball on the right side of the field. Pushing the ball down the field, Paré made a quick move and passed the ball to Lindsay Reidy, who was waiting at the top of the penalty box. Reidy took a touch and then sent a curling shot at the goal. The ball moved from right to left and flew right past the hand of Krieg and into the back of the net. The Golden Bears had the early 1-0 lead. After the goal, both teams gained and lost possession. The ball went back and forth, with runs made by both teams but nothing coming from the runs. The Golden Bears broke through as Isabella Montalvo got a shot off in the 15th minute, but Krieg was there for the save. Taryn White answered that quickly with the first shot for the Lyons. However, it was pushed wide of the goal. The Lyons kept the pressure up with another shot in the 21st minute by Anna Kennedy. McLaughlin was equal to the task, though, and made the save. That shot was quickly followed up by Paré and Liza Pinette getting shots on net. However, Krieg was in the right position and made both saves to keep the deficit at one. Kennedy went right back at the WNE net and put a shot on McLaughlin. McLaughlin made another save. The 25th minute saw Ada Siepmann shoot the ball high of the net. Then, Schuyler Pettibone sent a shot wide. The Lyons were generating more pressure and shots on the Golden Bear defense. Montalvo would respond in the 33rd minute with a shot that Krieg had to make a save on to keep the score where it was.

Then, there was a close chance in front of the Lyons goal, which saw Montalvo run in for a cross, but the cross was just out of reach, and the score stayed 1-0. A corner kick from WNE led to a header from Reidy that would go wide of the net. Finally, in the 44th minute, Alison Goodreau sent a shot over the net, and the score would stay 1-0 going into the break. The stat line read 7-5 in favor of the Golden Bears for shots. WNE had five shots on goal, while the Lyons had two. Krieg had four saves in the first half. McLaughlin had two. WNE generated one corner and had five fouls. The Lyons had no corners and six fouls called. 

The second half did not have a quick goal like the first half. However, the Lyons were pressuring the Golden Bears, and in the 50th minute, Pettibone got the first shot of the second half and sent it at McLaughlin, who made the save. That was countered by a Brynn Murphy and Jordan Paré combo of shots. However, they both were off-target, and the score stayed the same. The 60th minute saw Dana Chateauneuf go for goal and made McLaughlin make a big save to keep the Golden Bears ahead by one. However, that scoreline would only stand until the 62nd minute when Ada Siepmann netted a goal to even the score. A long ball was sent into the penalty box. Siepmann gathered the ball, passed it off, gained it back, and sent a shot from left to right across the goal and into the back of the net. The score was 1-1. The Golden Bears responded by getting more shots on net. Paré had a shot that Krieg had to save. Then, after a corner was awarded to the Golden Bears, Paré had a header go wide. The 67th minute saw the Golden Bears retake the lead. Liza Pinette got a pass around midfield. Pinette ran into the ball and dribbled it down the field on a breakaway.

Pinette then sent the ball to the keeper's left and into the net's bottom left corner. The Golden Bears were back in the lead, 2-1. Siepmann responded with a header a minute later, but McLaughlin made the save. Both teams went back and forth with shots after that, but nothing on net. It continued that way until the 82nd minute. Sage Hudson received a pass from Anna Kennedy in the Golden Bears half of the field. With defenders around, Hudson shot the ball just outside the penalty box and put it past the WNE keeper. The score was tied at 2-2.

The Golden Bears put the pressure on with multiple shots after the equalizing goal from the Lyons. Reidy sent the ball wide of the net. Then, after a couple of corner kicks, Pinette had a shot at net, but Krieg made a big save and pushed the ball away from the net and out of bounds. Maria Butrimas followed that up with a shot that was blocked, and then Pinette sent a shot wide. After that, Pinette found the ball on the left side of the net and sent a shot from left to right across the goal. Krieg made another big save and kept the game locked at 2-2. That would be the last opportunity of the game. The final stat sheet had WNE with 18 total shots and nine on goal. Mount Holyoke finished with 12 total shots and seven on goal. McLaughlin made five saves. Krieg made seven saves. WNE had five corner kicks and 14 fouls. The Lyons had no corner kicks and ten fouls. The final score saw the Golden Bears and Lyons draw 2-2.

Inside the Lines:

• WNE traveled to South Hadley, Massachusetts, for a matchup with the Lyons of Mount Holyoke College.
• Lindsay Reidy got the Golden Bears on the board early with a goal in the 4th minute, assisted by Jordan Paré.
• Ada Siepmann scored in the 62nd minute to even the game at one goal per side.
• Liza Pinette pushed the Golden Bears ahead again with a goal in the 67th minute.
• Sage Hudson netted the second equalizer for the Lyons in the 82nd minute. Anna Kennedy assisted Hudson on the goal.
• Molly McLaughlin made five saves, and Evie Krieg made seven saves.
• The Golden Bears and Lyons tied 2-2.

Up Next on the Schedule:

• WNE will return to Springfield for the start of conference play as they host the Curry College Colonels on Saturday, September 16, at noon.
• Mount Holyoke will start conference play on the road as they travel to Boston for a meeting with MIT. That game will be played on Saturday, September 16, at 1:00 PM.