SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (September 16, 2023) – The Western New England field hockey team, led by sophomore Kara Edwards, opened their conference schedule with a victory on Saturday evening, defeating the visiting Fighting Scots of Gordon College by a final score of 7-0. 

Records:

• Western New England: 6-0, 1-0 CCC
• Gordon College: 0-4, 0-1 CCC

How it Happened:
Western New England would control all of the offensive attack in the contest, which led to seven Golden Bears goals in the game. The WNE defense stood strong, not allowing the Fighting Scots to get a chance on goal. The Golden Bears opened the game with one goal in the first quarter when Sarah Johnston dipped through the Gordon defense and found the back of the net for the fifth time this season, giving WNE a 1-0 lead. The Golden Bears took just three shots in the first quarter with Gordon goalkeeper Alysson Stauffer making two saves. 

In the second quarter, Western New England would turn up the tempo and would find the back of the net three times, with all three goals coming within two minutes of each other. Kara Edwards got the scoring party started in the second frame, grabbing her third goal of the season. WNE's third goal of the game came after Olyvia Whyte inserted a penalty corner which then found the stick of Kara Edwards, who quickly shot a pass over to Kaya Antonelli, who finished off her first career goal with the Golden Bears, extending WNE's lead to 3-0. The goal scoring wrapped up with WNE's fourth goal of the game when the duo of Sarah Johnston and Kara Edwards connected on another WNE goal this season, with Edwards grabbing her fourth goal of the season and second goal of the evening, as Western New England took a 4-0 lead into the halftime break. 

Two more goals would be added to the scoreboard in the third quarter as Kayla Antonelli would find the back of the net for the second time on the night on another Kara Edwards assist, ten minutes into the third quarter to give the Golden Bears a 5-0 lead. Claire Cronin would find the back of the net less than three minutes later after Olivia Eastman sent a through ball across the crease which was smacked in at the back post by Cronin, giving Western New England a 6-0 lead after three quarters of play. WNE took six shots in the quarter with Gordon's new goalkeeper Sophea Zaskoda making one save. 

The Golden Bears would wrap up their night with one fourth quarter goal when Olivia Eastman found the back of the net for the fourth time on the season with Edwards grabbing another point on the night, her third assist to go along with two goals, as Western New England would open their CCC schedule with a win over the Fighting Scots, defeating Gordon 7-0. 

Inside the Box:

• All field players took the field for the Golden Bears while Kara Edwards proved to be the difference maker, scoring two goals while adding three assists, good for five points on the night. 
• WNE took 24 shots in the contest, placing 18 on goal. Kayla Antonelli took two of those shots on goal, scoring both of those chances, collecting her first two collegiate goals of the year. 
• WNE remains without a blemish on the season, winning their first six games of the year, while opening CCC play with a win. 
• Sarah Johnston (13), Kara Edwards (12), and Olivia Eastman (10) all have double digit points on the season for the blue and gold. 
• The Golden Bears have allowed just four goals this season while scoring 25 times.

Up Next on the Schedule:

• WNE returns to Golden Bear Stadium on Thursday, September 21 at 7:00 pm to host the Owls of Westfield State University in non-conference action.