Providence, R.I. (September 7, 2024) – The WNE Field Hockey team traveled to Providence, Rhode Island, for a clash with the Wildcats of Johnson & Wales University. After a hard-fought battle, the Golden Bears took the victory 2-1 thanks to two goals from Haley Kaczka, including a late penalty stroke goal.

Records:

• Western New England: 2-1 (0-0)
• Johnson & Wales University: 1-3 (0-0)

How it Happened:

The Golden Bears and Wildcats began the game with Ella Henry and Sophia Brea in the goals, respectively. The teams traded possession back and forth throughout the early stages of the game. Both teams were trying to figure out the other one and find opportunities down the field. However, it was JWU who had every opportunity in the first quarter. Susannah Brown had two shots blocked. Then, a penalty corner led to an Ava Gaudette shot going wide of the goal. Zofia Bangs had a shot blocked in the 11th minute. Then, after a penalty corner, Megan Salsinha had a shot blocked for JWU. That would finish the first quarter, and the Golden Bears and Wildcats were tied 0-0 after the first. The stat line after the first showed the Wildcats leading 5-0 in shots and 2-1 in penalty corners. The teams were tied in saves 0-0 and shots on goal 0-0.

The Golden Bears began the second quarter with more energy. They quickly got a penalty corner, which led to two shots: a shot by Analise Trani, which was saved, and a shot by Olyvia Whyte, which went wide of the net. They then earned two more penalty corners, with the second leading to a shot from Haley Kaczka, which was blocked. Ava Pontes had the first shot on goal for the Wildcats in the 22nd minute of play. Henry made the save. Pontes had another shot, which was blocked a few minutes later. The Golden Bears then flipped the field and had a shot from Tania Evans saved by Brea. A penalty corner ensued, and it led to a shot by Kaczka, which was blocked once again. The Golden Bears ended the first half with a constant attack. Evans had a shot saved. Then, Kaczka had a shot saved after another Golden Bear penalty corner. No more scoring opportunities arose after that, and the score stayed deadlocked at 0-0 at the half. The first-half stat line showed the Golden Bears leading in shots on goal 4-1 and penalty corners 6-2. Both teams had seven shots, and the Wildcats had more saves, 4-1.

After the halftime break, it was the Wildcats returning with more energy. They had two quick penalty corners before a shot from Pontes, which was saved. Then, another penalty corner led to a shot from Gaudette, which was blocked. The Golden Bears flipped the momentum with a penalty corner and a shot from Analise Trani that went wide. The Wildcats answered with a shot from Salsinha, which was blocked. The Wildcats then had three penalty corners in a row before getting a shot off. Pontes had the shot, and Henry made the save. That led to another penalty corner and another Pontes shot. However, this one was blocked. The Wildcats earned another penalty corner and another shot. Gaudette took this shot, and it was saved by Henry. That led to one more penalty corner for the Wildcats, which saw another shot by Gaudette saved by Henry. Eventually, the Golden Bears would get the ball into their attacking half of the field and three shots in a row. The first was saved by Brea. They then earned a penalty corner, which led to a Mackenna Cooke shot being blocked. Then, after a penalty corner from Grace Miguel, Sarah Johnston got the ball. Johnston fed a pass to Kaczka, who sent a hard shot into the back of the goal. The Golden Bears led 1-0 with 1:37 left in the third quarter. The lead did not hold for long as the Wildcats saw Susannah Brown send a shot at Henry, which was saved but fell to Zofia Bangs, who sent the ball into the goal to tie the game at one after three quarters of play. Shots favored the Wildcats 9-6 after three quarters. Shots on goal favored the Wildcats 6-2 and penalty corners 9-3. The Golden Bears had more saves, 5-1.

The Wildcats entered the fourth quarter with momentum. They had a penalty corner and then a shot from Izzy Ward saved by Henry. Evans tried to flip the script for the Golden Bears with a shot. However, it was saved by Brea. The Golden Bears then had two shots blocked. They had a penalty corner that led to Johnston sending a shot at the goal, which was saved by Madison Young in defense. The Golden Bears kept getting opportunities, but the shots were being blocked or saved. Zofia Bangs went for goal but was saved by Henry. Then, after a shot by Kayla Antonelli was blocked, the Golden Bears were awarded a penalty stroke. Haley Kaczka stepped up and sent a shot past the goalie to give the Golden Bears the 2-1 lead and the win after a final shot from the Wildcats went wide of the net. The final stat line showed the Golden Bears leading in shots 20-19 and saves 8-7. The Wildcats led in penalty corners 13-12. Both teams had nine shots. The Golden Bears won the game 2-1.

Head coach of WNE Kyle Lyons was asked what Lyons believed the game-changer was for the team and the reason why WNE left Providence, R.I. with the victory after a hard-fought battle. "It was a great battle for both teams. We had a bit of a dip in the 3rd quarter, but we were able to reconnect again for the fourth. We had some great speed off the bench that really helped us earn corners and the (penalty) stroke in the attacking end," Lyons mentioned. When asked about Lyons' thoughts on Haley Kaczka's two-goal performance, Lyons answered, "Haley is such an incredibly consistent and competitive player. She's very reliable and will do anything and everything to help her team win. Those were two great finishes, and a lot of credit also goes to her teammates for setting her up for those moments."

Haley Kaczka was asked what was going through Kaczka's mind when Kaczka stepped up for the penalty stroke at the end of the game with the chance to give the team the potentially game-winning goal. "I thought about how hard the team had worked all game to get such a great opportunity. We had a job to get done, and I knew I had to finish the play for them. And so, I went in confident and did what I had to do," Kaczka replied.

Inside the Lines:

• The Wildcats welcomed the Golden Bears to Scotts Miracle-Gro Athletic Complex in Providence, Rhode Island.
• Haley Kaczka scored with 1:37 left in the third quarter to give the Golden Bears a 1-0 lead after an assist from Sarah Johnston.
• Zofia Bangs scored with 0:33 left in the third quarter to tie the game at 1-1.
• Haley Kaczka scored a penalty stroke goal with 3:03 left in the game to give the Golden Bears a 2-1 lead.
• Sophia Brea made six saves and let up two goals.
• Ella Henry made eight saves and let up one goal to lead the Golden Bears to the win.
• The Golden Bears beat the Wildcats 2-1.

Up Next on the Schedule:

• WNE will travel to Wesleyan University for their next game on Wednesday, September 11, 2024, at 6:30 PM.
• Johnson & Wales will host Lasell University in their first GNAC game of the season. That game will be on Saturday, September 14, 2024, at 1:00 PM.