Box Score SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (October 7, 2025) – Mackenna Cooke's goal late in the third quarter proved to be the difference in Tuesday night's non-conference game against the visiting Spartans of Vermont State University Castleton at Golden Bear Stadium, giving the Golden Bears a 2-1 victory and snapping a brief two-game skid.

Records:

• Western New England: 8-5
• Vermont State University Castleton: 5-6

How it Happened:

First Quarter:

• Western New England had the opening penalty corner of the game but did not find the back of the net six minutes into the game. The second WNE penalty corner did result in a goal, however, as Mikayla Mrzywka found the back of the net for the 12^th time on the season, a team-lead, giving the Golden Bears a 1-0 lead. Haley Kaczka earned the assist on the play, her fifth assists this season. 
• The Golden Bears continued to dominate the quarter, taking the only seven shots of the frame. VTSU Castleton did have one penalty corner in the frame, but the Western New England defense was strong, holding off the Spartans. 
• Western New England had the 4-1 penalty corner advantage in the quarter. 

Second Quarter:

• The Spartans found their offense in the second quarter following a push from Western New England to start, who earned a pair of penalty corners and a shot from Tessa Ebreo that was blocked. From there, Castleton had the next penalty corners and three shots, all of which were blocked, keeping VTSU Castleton off the scoreboard. 
• WNE took over the offense from there, putting three shots on goal but Castleton's Zoe Martin was up to the task, keeping the Golden Bears from scoring. With under a minute remaining in the half, Castleton moved up the field and found their first goal of the game after Alex Tardugno made a save, Castleton's Gwyn Vincent roofed a shot on a rebound chance, evening the score at one at half. 
• Both teams took five shots in the frame, WNE putting three on goal, VTSU Castleton putting two on goal. Both teams earned their fair share of penalty corners, WNE five and Castleton four. 

Third Quarter:

• Western New England took over much of the offensive attack in the third quarter, leading to a late goal to retake their lead. In the beginning of the quarter, it would be the Castleton defense to slow the WNE attack while Martin made two early saves for the Spartans. 
• Castleton's lone shot of the quarter came seven minutes into the frame when the Spartans were awarded a penalty corner that led to a shot from Vincent, which came up wide. The Golden Bears took total control of the third quarter from there. 
• Following an opportunity on a penalty corner, Western New England's Mackenna Cooke chased down a chance and made an individual effort to find the back of the net for the first time this season, giving the Golden Bears a 2-1 lead with less than two minutes to play in the quarter, ending the third quarter with a one-goal lead for WNE. 
• WNE outshot Castleton 9-1 and had five of the six third quarter penalty corners. 

Fourth Quarter:

• WNE opened the quarter with a penalty corner that resulted in a shot from Haley Kaczka, but it was denied by Zoe Martin. Castleton responded three minutes later with a shot on goal, as Gwyn Vincent continued to provide the offense for the Spartans, but Alex Tardugno denied the chance, to keep Western New England ahead 2-1.
• WNE looked to tack on a late goal to put the game away, but Castleton's defense held strong. The Golden Bears matched that intensity on their own end, keeping the Spartans off the board to maintain the lead. 
• Neither side generated a chance in the final three minutes, as Western New England closed out a 2-1 win over Castleton — avenging last season's road loss to the Spartans and snapping a brief two-game skid.

Inside the Lines:

• Mikayla Mrzywka and Mackenna Cooke scored the goals for Western New England to lead the team to victory.
• The Golden Bears outshot VTSU Castleton 24-7 overall, putting 13 shots on goal to the Spartans' three.
• Western New England earned 15 penalty corners, while Castleton finished with six.
• Alex Tardugno made two saves in the win for the Golden Bears, while Castleton's Zoe Martin stopped 11 shots.

Up Next on the Schedule:

• Western New England heads to the University of New England on Saturday, October 11 at 1:00 PM for an important Conference of New England matchup.