Springfield, Mass. (September 14, 2024) – The Golden Bears opened up the home portion of their schedule with a matchup against Wellesley College. After a scoreless first 80 minutes of the game, Brynn Murphy would net an unassisted left-footed shot to give the Golden Bears the 1-0 lead and eventually the 1-0 win.

Records:

• Western New England: 3-0-3 (0-0-0)
• Wellesley College: 2-2-1 (0-0-0)

How it Happened:

The game began with Molly McLaughlin in the goal for the Golden Bears and Sascha Fleesler opposing McLaughlin in net for the Blue. The Golden Bears had early pressure on the Blue. They kept the ball on their attacking half of the field, and eventually, it led to a corner. That ended with a Golden Bear shot being blocked in the 7th minute. Then, the Blue started to make a move down the field and pressure the Golden Bears. They would have a shot go wide of the goal in the 10th minute. The 11th minute saw Isabella Montalvo test Fleesler with a shot. However, Fleesler made the save. Then, on the other end of the field, Reika Ishibe would send a shot towards the net, but it went off the left post of the goal in the 15th minute. The next twenty minutes of play would see the teams trade the ball back and forth. Both teams would put pressure on the other with movement into their own attacking zones. However, neither team could get a shot off.

That was until Gabby Sansone would take a shot in the 35th minute, which went wide left of the goal. The Golden Bears had another shot in the 40th minute, which was blocked. The Golden Bears finished the first half strong with pressure on the opposing team. Then, in the 45th minute, the Golden Bears had their best chance of the game up to that point, when the team switched the field quickly and it led to a shot from Gabby Sansone. However, a Wellesley College player got in front of the ball to block it, and the half ended shortly after. The game was tied 0-0 at the half. Shots favored the Golden Bears 5-2 in the first half. The Golden Bears also led in shots on goal 1-0 and fouls 6-3. Both teams had one corner kick. The Blue led in saves 1-0.

The second half began with the Blue kicking off. However, it was the Golden Bears with the early pressure once again. They had an early corner kick. However, it did not result in a shot. Solveig Unteroberdoerster had the first shot of the second half for the Blue in the 54th minute. Then, in the 62nd minute, the Golden Bears had an opportunity, but the shot went over the goal. Another opportunity developed in the 65th minute. However, the shot was blocked. The Golden Bears then had three corner kicks in two minutes, starting in the 68th minute. They would get one shot during that time span; however, the shot went wide left of the net. The Blue would try to flip the pressure and momentum.

The Golden Bears would not budge, though. They would return with more pressure and that included two shots on goal. The first from Emma Withington, which Fleesler saved in the middle of the net in the 75th minute. The second shot developed after a great pass to Lindsay Reidy, who was running up the right side of the field. Reidy would dribble towards the goal as Fleesler ran out at Reidy. Reidy would send a hard shot at the goal, but Fleesler was able to make the big save to keep the score tied 0-0 in the 77th minute. In the 80th minute, the Golden Bears substituted Brynn Murphy back into the game. Then, just over a minute and a half later, in the 81st minute, Gabby Sansone crossed the ball into the Blue penalty box. A defender tried to settle the ball. However, the ball was pushed to Brynn Murphy on the left side of the goal. Murphy settled the ball and sent a powerful left-footed shot into the bottom right corner of the net to give the Golden Bears the 1-0 lead. Both teams would trade the ball back and forth after that goal, but no other opportunities arose for either team, and the Golden Bears would hold on for the 1-0 win. The final stats showed the Golden Bears leading in shots 11-3, shots on goal 4-0, corner kicks 5-1, and fouls 11-8. The Blue led in saves 3-0.

Coach's Corner:

After the game, coach Kristin Hensinger was asked how Hensinger felt about the game. "It feels good to get a win, especially as our home opener. (It was a) slower start than we would like in the first 45," Hensinger stated. "Happy to come out with a win. It was a hard-fought game and in 85 degree weather, it's always interesting." "Proud that they came through and ended up getting the win." Hensinger was also asked how it felt to be at home for the first time this season. "It's always good to be home. We love playing on Suprenaut (Field); we love being in front of our home crowd," Hensinger mentioned. "It was important to us, after having success on the road, to come home and follow that success up with a home win."

Brynn Murphy was then asked about what was going through Murphy's mind when the ball fell to Murphy in the 81st minute. "In my mind, I'm just thinking about turning the defender and finding a gap to shoot into. I know in that moment, I did feel someone on my back, so turning the other way, where I didn't feel them, really worked for me. Then, like coach always tells us before the game, just pulling the trigger and actually shooting, and that's what I did, and it worked," Murphy responded.

Inside the Lines:

• The Golden Bears hosted the Wellesley College Blue in their first home game of the season.
• Neither team scored in the first half.
• Brynn Murphy scored the game-winning goal in the 81st minute. The goal was unassisted and made the score 1-0.
• Sascha Fleesler made three saves and let up one goal.
• Molly McLaughlin did not have to make a save and kept a clean sheet to earn the Golden Bears the shutout win.
• The Golden Bears won the game 1-0.

Up Next on the Schedule:

• The Golden Bears will host Smith College on Tuesday, September 17, 2024, at 4:00 PM.
• The Blue will travel back home to host Plymouth State University at 4:00 PM on Wednesday, September 18, 2024.