Springfield, Mass. (September 17, 2024) – The Golden Bears welcomed the Pioneers of Smith College to campus for a midweek, non-conference matchup. The teams would battle through a scoreless first half of play. Then, Keara Conroy would net the game-winning goal in the 49th minute to give the Golden Bears the 1-0 win over the Pioneers.

Records:

• Western New England: 4-0-3 (0-0-0)
• Smith College: 1-5-0 (0-0-0)

How it Happened:

The Golden Bears started Molly McLaughlin in net, while the Pioneers started Skylar Smith in net to start the game. The teams traded possession of the ball in the early stages of Tuesday's non-conference showdown. WNE did have more of the possession early in the game. The first opportunity of the game was from the Golden Bears in the 26th minute. However, the shot went over the net. They would have a corner kick and two other shots in the following two minutes. Neither shot was on goal. Neither team could find a true opportunity to test the opposing goalkeeper until the 33rd minute when Stephanie McKenna sent a shot at Smith, which Smith was able to save in the middle of the goal. That was followed up in the 35th minute by Gabby Sansone sending a curling shot at the top-left corner of the goal. Smith made an outstanding save to keep the score tied at zero. The 36th minute saw the Golden Bears with three opportunities in front of the goal. Stephanie McKenna had a shot saved by Skylar Smith. The ball bounced to Lindsay Reidy, who had a shot blocked, and then a shot from Emma Withington went wide of the net. The Golden Bears were building momentum, and it only continued through a shot on goal from Reidy in the 38th minute. That shot was saved. Then, in the 44th minute, Stephanie McKenna had a shot from outside the penalty box float over the defense and goalie's hand. However, it slammed into the crossbar, and the game was tied 0-0 at the half. The stat line saw the Golden Bears lead in shots 10-0, shots on goal 4-0, and corner kicks 3-0. Both teams had two fouls, and Smith had more saves, 4-0.

The second half started with the Pioneers controlling the possession and having the first shot and corner kick of the half. However, the shot was blocked by the WNE defense. Even with the quick start, the Golden Bears were still the first to have a major opportunity in the second half. Keara Conroy would take the ball away from the Pioneers and would settle the ball right on the edge of the Pioneers penalty box. Conroy then sent a strong right-footed shot across the face of the goal and into the bottom left corner of the goal to give the Golden Bears the 1-0 lead. The Golden Bears continued with pressure. They had a shot go wide almost a minute after the goal. Then, the Pioneers started to generate some opportunities. The 51st minute saw a shot get blocked. Then, Una Keller tested McLaughlin with a tough shot towards the top right corner of the goal. McLaughlin made the save. Reidy answered a couple of minutes later with a shot that Smith had to save. The teams traded possession and shots in the 61st and 62nd minutes.

Emma Withington then had a shot that made Smith make a save in the bottom left corner of the goal. Smith answered with another shot. However, this shot went wide of the net. The Golden Bears continued looking for a second goal with two shots. One went wide in the 70th minute. One tested Smith in net in the 76th minute. However, it was saved in the middle of the goal. The Pioneers immediately responded with a shot. However, it went wide of the net. The teams traded the ball for a little while. Then, a shot from the Pioneers went wide of the goal in the 84th minute, and that would be the last major opportunity of the game. The Golden Bears would control a lot of possession in the final minutes of the game and hold on to the 1-0 win. The final stats saw the Golden Bears leading in shots 17-7, shots on goal 8-1, and fouls 5-3. Both teams earned four corner kicks, and the Pioneers led in saves 7-1.

Coach's Corner:

After the conclusion of the game, head coach Kristin Hensinger was asked for a comment on the win. "It was another tough battle for us," Hensinger commented. "We didn't give in; we battled through it. Keara had a nice goal to put us on top early in the second half. Disappointed that we didn't finish any of our chances in the first half, which kept them in the game a little longer than I would have liked, but all you need is one more than the other team, and that's what we got today.

Goal-scorer Keara Conroy was asked to take us through the goal. "In practice, we've been working a lot on moving off the ball as center-mids, so I really tried to use that today and move off the ball and find a space, and I was able to do that, and just tried to shoot lower left-hand corner," Conroy stated. Conroy was also asked about the overall performance from the team today. "I thought we did start slow. The first half, we came out a little slower than we like, and we got the momentum going as the second half started, which was nice" Conroy responded. "We mostly kept them in our attacking half, which was good, and our defense worked really well today. At the end, we were able to hold them off."

Inside the Lines:

• The Golden Bears played host to the Smith College Pioneers on Tuesday.
• There were no goals scored in the first half of play.
• Keara Conroy scored an unassisted goal in the 49th minute to give the Golden Bears the 1-0 lead.
• Skylar Smith made seven saves and allowed one goal.
• Molly McLaughlin made one save and allowed no goals to earn the shutout victory.
• The Golden Bears won 1-0.

Up Next on the Schedule:

• The Golden Bears will open up conference play by hosting Roger Williams University on Saturday, September 21, 2024, at noon.
• The Pioneers will start their conference play at home against Emerson College on Saturday, September 21, 2024, at 4:00 PM.