Biddeford, ME. (October 5, 2024) – The Golden Bears were in Biddeford, Maine, on Saturday in a rematch of the 2022 conference championship. That game saw the Golden Bears win 3-0. This one saw WNE win 1-0. Lindsay Reidy's 40th-minute goal proved to be the difference. McLaughlin made six saves to become the all-time wins leader for the women's soccer program.

Records:

• Western New England: 6-1-5 (1-1-1)
• University of New England: 8-4-0 (2-1-0)

How it Happened:

The game got started with Molly McLaughlin and Anna Flaherty in goal for the Golden Bears and Nor'Easters, respectively. The teams traded possession of the soccer ball early. The Nor'Easters were the first to find a scoring opportunity. They had a shot glance off the post in the 8th minute. Then, Tori Keyes tested McLaughlin in net. McLaughlin made the save and kept the game scoreless. The Golden Bears responded with a shot, which slid wide of the net in the 11th minute. They then earned a corner kick in the 20th minute. Stephanie McKenna took the first shot on goal for the Golden Bears. Flaherty made the save in the 21st minute. Then, Isabella Montalvo had a shot saved by Flaherty in the 23rd minute. That was followed by a WNE shot wide of the net in the 26th minute. WNE had momentum. They had a corner kick and a shot go wide in the 28th minute. UNE responded with a shot, which glanced off the post again. The Golden Bears returned to the UNE side of the pitch and had another shot go wide. Lindsey Butler had the next major opportunity for UNE. McLaughlin would make the save in the 36th minute. UNE had a corner kick in the 37th minute. However, it did not lead to any shots. WNE countered with a Brynn Murphy shot, which was saved by Flaherty. Then, after a UNE foul, Abby Free took a free kick just on the UNE side of the midfield line. Free sent a long pass over the top of the group of players in front of the goal. It fell to Lindsay Reidy, who redirected the soccer ball into the back of the net with a header shot. The Golden Bears had the lead, 1-0 in the 40th minute. UNE tried to respond before the end of the half, but a 44th-minute corner kick would not result in a shot and the first half was over. The first-half stats saw WNE leading in shots 8-4, shots on goal 4-2, and fouls 4-2. Both teams had two corner kicks each, and UNE led 3-2 in saves.

The Nor'Easters would respond in the second half with pressure. They had a 47th-minute shot from Lizzie Frattaroli saved by McLaughlin. The Golden Bears answered with pressure of their own. They had two corner kicks and a shot, which was blocked, in the 49th and 50th minutes. UNE answered with a corner kick in the 51st minute and a shot, which went wide, in the 52nd minute. The teams went back and forth. Abby Free had a shot, which looked like it would double the WNE lead, but the UNE defense made the save. They traded shots and corner kicks throughout the middle stages of the second half. Karley Belisle tested McLaughlin in net. However, the shot was saved in the 56th minute. The defense kept pushing the UNE attack away from goal and saw UNE take multiple shots that whistled wide of the goal. They had two corner kicks in the 68th minute. The second one led to a shot wide of the net. Emily Chojnicki tested Flaherty for the first time of the second half. The Golden Bears then had a corner kick and another shot on goal. Flaherty saved Conroy's attempt at doubling the lead. The Golden Bears would possess the ball and keep attacking UNE until the 76th minute when Lily Carreiro had a shot on McLaughlin. It was saved. UNE had a corner kick and a shot from Morgan Diefenbach saved by McLaughlin in the 80th minute. The Nor'Easters tried to make one last move to equalize the game. However, the Golden Bears flipped the script and had a shot saved by Flaherty in the 88th minute. UNE had one more shot before the game ended. The WNE defense blocked it, and the Golden Bears were victorious. The final stats showed WNE leading 15-14 in shots, 8-6 in shots on goal, and 9-6 in fouls. Both teams had seven corner kicks, and UNE led 7-6 in saves. WNE won the game 1-0.

Coach's Corner:

All-time wins record-holder Molly McLaughlin was asked how it feels to get the win and become the all-time wins leader for the women's soccer program at WNE. "It's a huge accomplishment. I'm very proud of myself, but I wouldn't have been able to do it without my team over the past 4 years," McLaughlin responded. "We needed a momentum shift, and this win hopefully will do that for us. It was a hard-fought win against at a very good team."

Goal-scorer Lindsay Reidy was asked to take us through the game-winning goal and how it felt to get that goal. "Because the goal was scored in the first half. I really didn't feel the excitement of it being a game winner because I knew we had a lot of work ahead of us still. In the free kick, I noticed that I didn't really have anyone marking me, and Abby sent a really good ball into the box. I just kept my eyes locked on the ball and I was able to get a flick over the keeper," Reidy stated.

Head coach Kristin Hensinger was asked how it felt to get the first conference victory of the season. "This road win feels good; as Molly said, we all felt we needed this one to help get on a better path in conference," Hensinger stated. Hensinger was then asked what Hensinger attributes the win to. "It was a team win, from the energy on the sideline to the relentless effort on the pitch. UNE is a very good team, and the long trip is never easy."

Inside the Lines:

• The Golden Bears traveled to Biddeford, Maine, for a conference clash with the University of New England.
• 39:09 – Lindsay Reidy gave the Golden Bears the lead with a header shot that found the back of the net. Abby Free had the assist off a free kick. The Golden Bears led 1-0.
• Neither team scored in the second half.
• Anna Flaherty made six saves and let up one goal.
• Molly McLaughlin made six saves and earned the shutout victory for the Golden Bears.
• WNE beat UNE 1-0.

Up Next on the Schedule:

• WNE will be back in Springfield, MA, to take on Amherst College on Tuesday, October 8, 2024, at 4:00 PM in their final non-conference contest of the season.
• UNE will host their third home game in a row as they welcome UMass-Boston to campus on Wednesday, October 9, 2024, at 6:00 PM.