SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (November 1, 2025) – The fourth-seeded Western New England field hockey team took down the visiting fifth-seeded Wildcats from Johnson & Wales University on Saturday afternoon in the opening round of the Conference of New England Tournament, advancing to the semifinal round after a 5-1 victory. 

Records:

• No. 4 Western New England: 12-8
• No. 5 Johnson & Wales University: 8-9

How it Happened:

First Quarter:

• The Golden Bears wasted time getting on the scoreboard as just 4:03 into the first quarter, Kara Edwards found the back of the net for her second goal of the season on an assist from Mackenna Cooke, giving the Golden Bears the early 1-0 lead. The Golden Bears dominated much of the offense to begin the frame as Johnson & Wales were not able to convert on an early penalty corner. 
• After the quarter expired, Western New England was able to pick up a pair of penalty corners, in which they scored on their final chance of the frame when Mikayla Mrzywka tipped in a shot on a pass to the middle of the crease from Kara Edwards, giving the Golden Bears a 2-0 lead after one quarter of play. 

Second Quarter:

• WNE needed just three minutes to extend its lead to begin the second as Mrzywka added her second goal of the evening and 20^th of the season on another point on the night for Edwards, giving the Golden Bears a 3-0 advantage. JWU had plenty of attack in the second period, forcing Alex Tardugno to make three saves overall, testing the WNE sophomore goalkeeper. 
• JWU would not be able to add any goals to the scoreboard, despite outshooting the Golden Bears 5-1 in the quarter overall and had the only two penalty corners of the frame. 

Third Quarter:

• WNE got right back to the offense in the third quarter, scoring a goal just 2:43 into the quarter as Jenna Nigro picked up her second goal of the season on an unassisted mark, giving Western New England a commanding 4-0 lead. JWU's Emma Ferrara has the best chance of the quarter to get the Wildcats on the scoreboard, but was denied by Tardugno, keeping JWU from scoring. 
• Western New England turned defense into offense and scored its fifth goal of the game at the midway mark of the quarter as Tania Evans went up the field on a 2-on-1 with Maddie Ripley, and Ripley was able to take a pass from Evans and find the back of the net, giving the Golden Bears a 5-0 lead, well on their way to the CNE semifinal round. 
• WNE outshot JWU 5-2 in the quarter and had the only penalty corner of the frame. 

Fourth Quarter:

• The Golden Bears continued to press the Wildcats on offense but were not able to add any extra goals in the quarter. The Wildcats, desperate to keep their season alive, threw everything they could towards the goal, shooting five times in total, and were able to strike with less than three minutes remaining in the game. 
• Ava Pontes sent a pass towards the back post following a penalty corner, finding Emma Ferrara, who beat Tardugno inside the post, putting the Wildcats on the scoreboard, seeing the Golden Bears' lead drop down to four, 5-1. 
• WNE finished out the contest with that final score, heading to the CNE semifinals, defeating Johnson & Wales by that final score of 5-1. 

Inside the Lines:

• Kara Edwards had a standout game for Western New England, scoring the opening goal of the game and picking up a pair of assists. 
• Mikayla Mrzywka continued her excellent first year in blue and gold, scoring a pair of goals to help WNE come up with the win. The Penfield, New York, native took eight shots, putting six on goal. 
• Alex Tardugno made five saves in the victory for the Golden Bears. 
• WNE posts its second win of the year over JWU, both coming on home turf, a 4-0 regular season win and a 5-1 playoff victory. 

Up Next on the Schedule:

• The Golden Bears head to top-seeded Endicott College for the CNE Semifinals on Wednesday, November 4, at 7:00 PM.