SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (October 12, 2024) – The Western New England women's soccer team was led by their graduate student Isabella Montalvo on senior day, as the Rocky Hill, Connecticut native would score a goal with just 42 seconds remaining in the game to lift the Golden Bears past the Leopards of Wentworth Institute of Technology on Saturday afternoon.

Records:

• Western New England: 7-2-5, 2-1-1 CNE
• Wentworth Institute of Technology: 4-5-4, 1-2-1 CNE

How it Happened:

An early start for the Golden Bears would see the senior class of 2024 be honored before the game while the senior class would also start the game for the hosts. Three seniors, Emily Chojnicki, Lindsay Reidy, and Keara Conroy, would take the first three shots of the game, seeing their shots be blocked by the Wentworth line of defense to keep the Golden Bears off the scoreboard early. Reidy would be the first to find the target, as the senior would take a shot that would be denied by the Wentworth goalkeeper, Shyla Kulesza. WNE took six shots in the opening nine minutes of the game though would not be able to crack the code to find the game's opening goal. Brianna Carroll, also a Western New England senior, would make the start for the Golden Bears in between the pipes and would be tested in the 14^th minute twice, as Meghan Barilone and Rachel Hagerty would both put up shots for Wentworth, though the senior keeper would keep the Leopards off the board. The Golden Bears would continue to push for the opening goal of the game, seeing Brynn Murphy and Liza Pinette come away with shots, though no goals to show for it. Western New England earned nine corner kicks in the first half but could not find goal off any of the nine attempts. Wentworth came away with their best chance late in the first half after Maria Selman would take a shot on goal though would be turned aside by Carroll to keep Wentworth from scoring. Neither team would find twine in the opening half, as Western New England would out shoot the Leopards 13-6 overall in the first.

Molly McLaughlin would tend the pipes for the final 45 minutes of the game for Western New England, though would be tested just once in the second half. The Golden Bears maintained their pressure on the Leopards as they did in the first half, looking for the first goal of the game. Liza Pinetter would come away with the first two shots in the first four minutes of the second half, while Isabella Montalvo would collect her first shot of the game shortly after, though no goals would be scored. Brynn Murphy would take a chance at goal in the 60^th minute, though Shyla Kulesza would continue her excellent play for the Leopards, saving the Murphy chance. Wentworth would take just one shot on goal in the second half, which came in the 76^th minute when Jordan Dahan picked up a blast off the right foot that would be saved by McLaughlin. WNE would respond with a shot on goal of their own in the 78^th minute when Lindsay Reidy took a shot on goal though could not find the back of the net, leaving the same at an even 0-0 stalemate. The Western New England women's soccer team would continue to control much of the offense in the second half as Murphy would take to cracks at goal in the 83^rd and 84^th minutes, though the ball would not find the back of the net. In the last seconds of the game, Western New England would control the ball off a throw in, where Tess Chevalier would make a quick toss to the middle of the field, finding the foot of Reidy. The WNE senior would make a strong pass to Isabella Montalvo at the back right corner of the box. Montalvo would receive the ball with just 50 seconds to play in the game, take a left-footed touch past the Leopards defender, and fire a shot into the lower left corner of the net with 42 seconds remaining, giving the Golden Bears a 1-0 lead. That goal would stand as the game-winning goal, Montalvo's third tally of the year, that sent Western New England to a 1-0 win over Wentworth, an important conference victory.

Coach's Corner

Head coach Kristin Hensinger was asked for a comment on the crazy win today. "It goes to show the girls that you can never give up; you have to play all 90 minutes, which we did. I'm proud of their effort. Would like to do a better job finishing our opportunities earlier in the game, but all out, great team effort on Senior Day," Hensinger noted. After being asked to talk about the goal from Isabella Montalvo, Hensinger mentioned, "Bella has been playing well in practices this week. I had a hunch that she was due for a goal at some point. She kept her composure, beat one or two defenders in the box, and was able to bury it (the ball) into the corner (of the goal) for just what our team needed. We needed a goal, and she gave it to us."

Isabella Montalvo was asked for a comment on the game-winning goal that Montalvo scored. "This was such an important moment for our seniors. We had so many opportunities the whole game, and I was so happy to have put this goal away after a hard-fought 90 minutes," Montalvo stated.

Inside the Lines:

• Western New England picked up 27 total shots in the game, putting up 11 on goal. Wentworth tallied 11 shots in the game, five total on goal.
• Brianna Carroll made four first-half saves for Western New England, while Molly McLaughlin picked up her program's leading 41^st career win, making one save in the game.
• Shyla Kulesza notched ten saves for the Leopards in the losing effort.
• Isabella Montalvo's goal in the late stages of the second half would give Western New England their second conference victory of the season. Montalvo now has eight game-winning goals over her career at WNE, her first this season.
• Western New England has now picked up five straight wins over Wentworth, including back-to-back 1-0 wins. Last year's 1-0 win came on the road with a goal in the 85^th minute for WNE.

Up Next on the Schedule:

• Conference play continues on the road on Tuesday, October 15 at 7:00 PM when WNE travels to Suffolk University.