SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (October 12, 2024) – The Western New England field hockey team saw a one-goal lead late in the fourth quarter quickly crumble as the visiting Hawks of Roger Williams University would score two quick goals in the final seven minutes of the game to steal a 2-1 victory over the Golden Bears in Conference of New England play on Saturday afternoon from Golden Bear Stadium.

Records:

• Roger Williams University: 9-5, 2-1 CNE
• Western New England: 7-6, 2-1 CNE

How it Happened:

The Golden Bears took the opening penalty corner of the game that would see the first shot of the game come forward as WNE's Haley Kaczka would connect on a shot thought the Roger Williams defense would stand tall, blocking the shot attempts. Six minutes into the game, Roger Williams would grab their first shot, floating a shot on goal as Grace Rocheleau would find the frame though would be denied by senior goalkeeper Zoey Wexler to keep RWU off the board. The Hawks would threaten again in the quarter with under five minutes remaining as Ella Waryas put up back-to-back shots on goal, though Wexler would stay tall in between the pipes to keep the Hawks at bay. The Golden Bears would begin to build momentum following the saves from their senior keeper. Western New England picked up the first goal of the game with 1:08 remaining in the first 15 minutes, seeing Sarah Johnston bring Tania Evans towards goal. Evans would see the ball roll towards the crease, take two steps, and fire the shot into the lower left corner of the net, picking up her first career collegiate goal, giving the Golden Bears a 1-0 lead just before the first quarter expired. Despite being outshot 5-3 in the frame, Western New England walked away with a 1-0 lead.

Back and forth action would be seen in the second quarter as the Golden Bears opened the frame with the better of the chances as two penalty corners would come about while Sarah Johnston would pick up a shot on goal that would be saved by RWU's Jill Haudenshield. WNE would continue to see the ball on their offensive side, as Haley Kaczka would take a shot on a penalty corner with under five minutes remaining, though would be stuffed again by the RWU keeper. The Hawks would see two shots come their way in the late stages of the frame as both Emma Sheldon's attempts would be denied, keeping RWU off the scoreboard. The Hawks would outshoot the Golden Bears 3-2 in the second period, though no goals would be scored.

Roger Williams came out hunting for their first goal of the game, seeing the better of the play come from the Hawks end in the third. Grace Rocheleau would take the best shot for the Hawks in the third, nearly finding the back of the net, though a sprawling Keegan McMahon would keep the Hawks off the scoreboard with a defensive save. RWU would take four penalty corners in the third quarter, none of which resulted in a goal. Johnston put up WNE's only shot on goal in the third frame, though would be snuffed of her 100^th career point in blue and gold. Neither team would find goal in the third frame, leaving the final 15 minutes of play to decide a winner with Western New England leading 1-0.

Chelsea King, the Conference of New England's leading scorer, would get a shot on goal in the opening two minutes of the fourth quarter, though a big save from Zoey Wexler would keep the RWU forward from scoring. Western New England would be doomed by a five-minute yellow card with just 6:41 remaining in the game, putting themselves a player down for nearly the rest of the contest. From there, the Hawks would strike on their first goal of the game when Elizabeth Duquette would even the score at one on a penalty corner insert from Chelsea King. Duquette would pick up the insert and loft a shot up and over the WNE defense and over the head of Wexler, inserting the ball into the net to tie the game. Not long after, the CNE scoring leader, Chelsea King, would tap home a rebound chance to give the Hawks a 2-1 lead. A scramble in front of the net would see Abigail Stevens nearly send the ball over the line before King would smash home the rebound to make sure the ball went over the line, giving RWU the lead. Western New England would control the ball for the final two minutes of the game, though would not be able to put a shot up on goal to test the Hawks, falling in the fourth quarter and in the game by a final score of 2-1.

Inside the Lines:

• Tania Evans scored her first goal of her collegiate career on Saturday, picking up WNE's first and only tally of the game.
• Roger Williams outshot the Golden Bears 15-8 overall and 10-4 on goal.
• The Hawks took at least one penalty corner in every quarter, leading that category 10-6.
• WNE's Zoey Wexler came away with seven saves on the afternoon while her counterpart, Jill Haundeshield, notched three saves.
• Western New England was assessed the only two cards in the game.
• RWU hands WNE their first home loss of the 2024 season.

Coaches Corner:

• Head Coach Kyle Lyons talked about the message to the team pregame and post game following the tough 2-1 loss. "The message before the game was to go out there, play as a team, and empty our tanks. Our game plan was more defensive focused and to capitalize on our opportunities on the attacking end."  Postgame, Lyons said "I am so proud of the way the team played today and that was the message post-game ss well. They stuck to the game plan, executed, and played hard for a full 60 minutes knowing we were playing a strong conference opponent. It was a tough ending, but I'm really happy about the performance, focus, and energy."

Up Next on the Schedule:

• The Golden Bears return home after a week off to take on the Nor'easters of the University of New England on Saturday, October 19, at 5:30 PM on Golden Bear weekend.