Milton, Mass. (October 26, 2024) – The men's soccer team was at Curry College for their final regular-season away contest. The Golden Bears saw Jayden Montagna and Tyler Lewis notch goals in the first half. The Colonels would grab an early goal in the second half, but it was canceled out by a Keegan Reim free kick goal to lift the Golden Bears over the Colonels 3-1.

Records:

• Western New England: 8-8-3 (4-3-1)
• Curry College: 6-9-4 (0-4-4)

How it Happened:

Roger Leland started in goal for the Golden Bears, with Ryan McGourty across from Leland in the Colonels' goal. The Golden Bears were the first to find scoring opportunities. They had a shot blocked, which led to a corner kick in the 3rd minute. However, the Colonels would squash that chance. Then, the Colonels would answer in the 10th minute with a shot that rose just over the WNE net. The Golden Bears quickly responded with an 11th-minute corner kick that saw WNE earn a header shot from the corner kick. It would deflect wide of the goal, though. The 16th minute saw another WNE shot go wide of the goal. The Golden Bears kept finding shot chances. However, they were not on net. The Golden Bears then earned their third corner kick opportunity in the 20th minute and their fourth in the 22nd minute. The Colonels would turn away both chances, though. Despite not having a shot on goal, the Golden Bears were applying pressure and holding onto the ball more. Then, Jayden Montagna got the ball just above the left side of the penalty box. Montagna made a move to the left and found some space. Montagna then sent a left-footed shot sliding past the goalie and into the net. WNE led 1-0 in the 26th minute.

WNE would not sit back after that. Jack Leland had a shot saved by McGourty in the 28th minute. Then, WNE had another shot go wide of the goal in the 29th minute. The Golden Bears were gaining more and more momentum. Aiden Casinghino would take a shot in the 31st minute, which was parried away by McGourty. That led to a corner kick chance, and WNE had a shot after the chance. However, it went wide of the net. The Colonels looked to switch the momentum with a shot in the 35th minute. However, it went wide of the net. WNE immediately countered with a Tyler Lewis shot, which McGourty had to save in the 36th minute, and a shot which sailed over the goal a minute later. Then, after all the chances, the Golden Bears would double the lead when Jack Leland sent a long pass down the field. The ball would get tangled up between the defender and Tyler Lewis. The ball fell to Lewis, who sent it right into the bottom-right corner of the net to give WNE a 2-0 lead in the 40th minute. WNE did not settle. They had a shot blocked out for a corner kick chance in the 42nd minute. The Colonels would clear the ball to cancel that WNE opportunity. The first half concluded a few minutes later, with WNE still leading 2-0. The first-half stats saw WNE leading in shots 12-2, shots on goal 5-0, and corner kicks 6-0. The Colonels led in saves 3-0 and fouls 9-4.

The second half started with fireworks. The Colonels started the half with two shots. The first was blocked in the 46th minute, and the second saw Kaden Puglia score in the 47th minute. Giovanni Martins received a pass on the right side of the field. Martins dribbled down to the end line and sent a right-footed crossing pass to Puglia, who dove and sent a header shot past the WNE goalie. WNE still led 2-1. The Colonels kept gaining momentum through a Noah Doyens shot saved by Roger Leland in the 56th minute. WNE countered with a shot wide in the same minute. That is when the Golden Bears started to regain the momentum. They had four shots over the next fifteen minutes. All four shots would miss the target, though. The Golden Bears had a fifth shot in a row when it got to the 70th minute. It was Keegan Reim who took that shot off a free-kick opportunity. Reim took a right-footed shot and curled the shot up and over the outstretched hand of the goalie, right into the top-right corner of the goal. WNE led 3-1. The Colonels tried to counter that and earned a corner kick a minute later. However, WNE cleared the ball.

WNE had three of the next four shots, with all of them being shots on goal. Keegan Reim, Jack Leland, and Owen Dieterle all had shots on goal saved by McGourty. Curry College had the fourth shot, but it went wide. Then, the Colonels threatened again with a shot in the 84th minute going wide. They would not get another major opportunity. The Golden Bears controlled the ball for most of the rest of the game. They had a shot blocked and two corner kick chances before the final whistle sounded to mark a 3-1 conference victory for WNE. The final stats saw WNE lead 22-7 in shots, 9-2 in shots on goal, and 9-1 in corner kick chances. The Colonels made six saves compared to the one from WNE and had more fouls, 19-8.

Coach's Corner

Head coach Devin O'Neill was asked what went right and what could be worked on for the team's next match. "Our pressure from the front created problems for them and our midfield was very influential throughout the game. Good effort throughout the team," O'Neill stated.

Goal-scorer Keegan Reim was asked for a comment on the game. "It was a great team win on the road against a solid team. We made the most of our chances and limited them for the most part which is always the objective. Really happy for the team to clinch playoffs and start seeing the ball go in the back of the net. The team has really come together as a group in the last couple of weeks and it's going to be hard to beat us if we can maintain that!" Reim responded. Reim was also asked for a comment on Reim's free-kick goal. "On the free kick, I saw it was pretty close to the goal, but almost like a corner kick. I figured I'd put it on frame, back post, and force the keeper to have to make a save. I made good contact and looked up and it was a great feeling to see the ball tuck into the corner," Reim answered.

Inside the Lines:

• WNE took on Curry College in Milton, Massachusetts, on Saturday.
• 25:57 – Jayden Montagna scored WNE's first goal of the contest. WNE led 1-0.
• 39:12 – Tyler Lewis received a pass close to the Colonels' goal and doubled the WNE lead. WNE led 2-0.
• 46:51 – Kaden Puglia received a crossing pass from Giovanni Martins and sent a diving header shot into the net to cut the WNE lead in half. WNE led 2-1.
• 69:36 – Keegan Reim doubled the WNE lead once again. Reim scored off a free kick. WNE led 3-1.
• Ryan McGourty made six saves for the Colonels.
• Roger Leland made one save to earn WNE the conference win.
• WNE beat Curry College 3-1.

Up Next on the Schedule:

• The Golden Bears will finish their regular-season schedule at home on Wednesday, October 30, 2024, at 3:30 PM against Nichols College.
• The Colonels will travel to Roger Williams University to complete their regular-season campaign on Tuesday, October 29, 2024, at 4:00 PM.