Milton, Mass. (October 26, 2024) – WNE traveled to eastern Massachusetts for a conference clash with the Curry College Colonels. The Golden Bears found the back of the net three times on Saturday. Abby Free scored the first goal in the first half, and Brynn Murphy and Isabella Montalvo each had a goal in the second half to lead the Golden Bears to a 3-1 victory.

Records:

• Western New England: 9-3-6 (4-2-2)
• Curry College: 5-9-3 (1-5-2)

How it Happened:

The contest started with Molly McLaughlin in net for WNE and Hannah Correa in goal for Curry College. The teams started the game by passing the ball around and looking for the right opportunity. WNE made the first major run down the pitch and saw a corner kick opportunity awarded to them in the 7th minute. However, the Colonels' defense cleared the ball, and it was the Colonels who had the next two corner kick opportunities in the 12th minute. The Golden Bears reciprocated the act and cleared both corner kicks. The first half saw a lot of possession trading. It was Stephanie McKenna who had the first shot of the game. Correa made the save in the 18th minute. Mia Schena answered with a shot on goal for Curry College. McLaughlin made the save in the 20th minute. The Golden Bears looked to apply more pressure as the half continued by earning a corner kick opportunity in the 23rd minute and having a shot go in the direction of the net but over it in the 28th minute. Catia Fernandes then had a shot on goal for the Colonels that McLaughlin saved in the 30th minute.

Then, after not many major opportunities for either team, the Golden Bears would find a goal. A foul in the penalty box led to an Abby Free penalty kick. Free would send the shot into the top-center portion of the goal and give WNE the 1-0 lead. WNE felt the momentum swing and followed the goal up with three shots. Keara Conroy and Emma French had shots saved by Correa in the 38th and 40th minutes. Those were the final major opportunities for either team in the first half. The halftime stats saw WNE leading in shots 6-2, shots on goal 4-2, and fouls 4-2. Both teams had two corner kick opportunities, and Curry College had more saves, 3-2. The Golden Bears led 1-0 at halftime.

The second half saw the Colonels start quickly with a shot wide of the net. The Golden Bears answered, though. Lindsay Reidy would take a shot off a free-kick pass. Reidy's shot was saved by Correa; however, the shot deflected to Liza Pinette, who sent the ball to Brynn Murphy in front of the net. Murphy sent the ball into the back of the net, and WNE led 2-0 in the 50th minute. WNE did not stop pressuring the Colonels after that goal, though. Isabella Montalvo had a shot saved by Correa in the 56th minute, and WNE had a second shot slide wide of the goal in the 60th minute. The Colonels would not shy away. They had a corner-kick opportunity in the 62nd minute, which led to a shot. However, it went wide of the goal. The teams traded possession for a little while. Then, WNE earned a corner kick opportunity in the 69th minute. The Colonels squashed that opportunity and countered with a shot wide in the 70th minute and then a shot from Gabriella Stocker that McLaughlin had to save in the same minute. WNE would answer with their third goal of the game in the 78th minute. Tess Chevalier found Brynn Murphy in the WNE attacking half. Murphy then turned and sent a through pass to Isabella Montalvo, who netted a left-footed shot. The Golden Bears led 3-0. The Golden Bears continued to apply pressure through an 81st-minute corner kick, which led to a shot over the goal. Then, as the game entered its final minutes, the Colonels found a shot opportunity which went wide of the goal in the 88th minute. Then, a corner kick opportunity taken by Catia Fernandes found Maddie Resendes, who deflected the ball to Kiera Lindmark, who kicked the ball out of the air into the top-right corner of the WNE net. The score was 3-1 in the final minute of play. Sixteen seconds later, the game concluded, and WNE won by a score of 3-1. The final stats saw WNE lead 12-8 in shots and 8-4 in shots on goal. Curry College had more saves, 5-3. Both teams had seven fouls and four corner-kick opportunities.

Coach's Corner

Head coach Kristin Hensinger was asked what the message was to the team, which led to the three-goal performance from WNE. "We talked about the need to have a championship mentality, that it is important to start preparing for playoffs," Hensinger mentioned. Hensinger was also asked how the win feels going into the team's regular-season finale on Tuesday. "We started off shaky, but we were able to get into a little rhythm. It was good to score a couple of goals finally. Hopefully, we can carry some momentum into Tuesday and into playoffs."

Inside the Lines:

• The Golden Bears were in Milton, Massachusetts, for a CNE contest against Curry College.
• 37:04 – Abby Free gave the Golden Bears the lead with a penalty kick goal. The Golden Bears led 1-0.
• 49:14 – Brynn Murphy doubled the Golden Bear lead with a goal. WNE led 2-0.
• 77:21 – Isabella Montalvo gave the Golden Bears a 3-0 lead with a goal assisted by Brynn Murphy in the 78th minute.
• 89:44 – Kiera Lindmark cut the deficit to two goals with a 90th-minute goal for the Colonels, assisted by Maddie Resendes. The Golden Bears led 3-1.
• Hannah Correa made five saves for the Colonels.
• Molly McLaughlin made three saves and earned the Golden Bears the win.
• The Golden Bears beat the Colonels 3-1.

Up Next on the Schedule:

• The Golden Bears will finish their regular-season campaign with a home contest against Nichols College on Tuesday, October 29, 2024, at 3:30 PM.
• The Colonels will travel to Roger Williams for their final regular-season game of the 2024 season. That game will be on Tuesday, October 29, 2024, at 7:00 PM.