Bristol, R.I. (November 4, 2025) – The Golden Bears rolled into Bristol, Rhode Island, for the conference semifinals versus the No. 1 seed, Roger Williams University. The Golden Bears continued their momentum from their OT win versus the University of Hartford with an 8th-minute Ben Riley goal. RWU's Dylan Thomas would then score two goals in four minutes to give the Hawks a 2-1 advantage that they would not give up until the 85th minute, when Jacob Dounetos sent a left-footed shot screaming into the net to tie the game at two. The game would not find a winner after 110 minutes, so penalty kicks were needed, where Eliot Panaccione made one save and sent the Hawks to the conference finals.

Records:

• Western New England: 9-9-2 (6-3-1)
• Roger Williams University: 13-1-4 (8-1-1)

How it Happened:

First Half:

• Braylon Casinghino and Eliot Panaccione got the starts in goal for the semifinal matchup.
• The Golden Bears started with a lot of energy and momentum as they had the first shot on goal. Nigel Martin had a shot saved by Panaccione in the 8th minute.
• The ball would ultimately be sent back to Martin in the penalty box. Martin sent a pass wide of the goal to Ben Riley, who sent the ball crashing into the net. WNE led 1-0 in the 8th minute.
• The Hawks responded with pressure. They had three shots, with two shots on goal in a row. Casinghino made both saves.
• Then, after a Shay O'Neill shot that Panaccione saved, Panaccione sent a goal kick down the field to Dylan Thomas, who took a touch and then sent a shot flying into the net. The Hawks had tied the score 1-1 in the 15th minute.
• The Hawks earned a penalty kick chance in the 18th minute off a handball inside the penalty box. The kick taker would miss wide right, and the score stayed locked at one.
• However, not for long, as  Dylan Robbins sent a hard shot at goal that Casinghino saved. Dylan Thomas would be in the right spot at the right time and score. WNE trailed 2-1 in the 19th minute.
• Roger Williams kept the pressure on WNE with a corner and a shot after that. WNE could not find a shot after the momentum swung from the two goals.
• RWU would be the next team to get a shot on goal in the 31st minute. Noah Massoti tested Casinghino, and Casinghino made the save.
• Neither team had a shot after that, but RWU would have the majority of possession to close the half.
• The first half stats were as follows: RWU led in shots 10-4, and shots on goal 6-3. RWU had more fouls, 10-5, and corners, 4-0. WNE had more saves, 4-2.

Second Half:

• The second half saw the Golden Bears reinvigorated. They let up the first corner, but then saw Shay O'Neil send a free kick towards the goal, and Panaccione had to parry the ball away from the goal for a corner.
• WNE kept pressing up the field, but RWU would counter with a shot. Casinghino saved it.
• Casinghino had another save in the 57th minute. RWU started to build pressure and tried to block WNE from scoring another goal.
• WNE would have a shot blocked in the 64th minute, but could not find much else from a goal-scoring perspective for the next several minutes. RWU would earn a corner, but the teams traded the ball back and forth for the majority of the second half.
• The Golden Bears would move forward as the second half started to near a conclusion. Nigel Martin had a shot miss left of the goal before the team conceded a RWU shot.
• WNE could not find a true goal-scoring chance until the 85th minute, when a free kick was taken by WNE and sent into the penalty box, where the ball found Jacob Dounetos.
• Dounetos sent a left-footed screamer into the bottom-right corner of the goal, and WNE tied the game at two.
• The Jacob Dounetos goal would send the game to overtime, tied at two.

Overtime 1:

• The Golden Bears entered overtime with an attacking mindset.
• They picked up the first shot of overtime, and then after a free kick, Jacob Dounetos went for goal again. However, Panaccione would make the save on this shot from Dounetos.
• Shortly after that, Nigel Martin had a shot on goal saved by Panaccione, too. WNE was sending pressure but could not find the game-winning goal.
• Roger Williams' Aidan Jennings took a free-kick shot at the end of the first overtime, and the ball hit the very top of the crossbar and skipped out for a goal kick. That would end the first half of overtime.

Overtime 2:

• It was the Hawks who came out with intensity in the second overtime.
• Both teams would trade shots, even with the RWU intensity. WNE was not shying away from the fight. Jacob Dounetos even had a shot on goal in the 107th minute, but Panaccione saved it.
• RWU would keep sending their attack forward, though, looking for that game-winning shot.
• A corner kick in the 109th minute of the game led to a Luke McCarthy shot being saved by Casinghino.
• RWU had one last shot in the 110th minute, but it was blocked, and the teams went to penalty kicks.
• After 110 minutes, the stats were as follows: RWU led in shots 20-16 and shots on goal 9-8. They also led in corner kicks, 8-1, and fouls, 20-8. WNE led in saves, 7-6.

Penalty Kicks:

• Tyler Lewis had his first attempt saved by Panaccione, but Panaccione was flagged for leaving early. Lewis scored the next attempt to give WNE a 1-0 lead.
• Brandon Rodriguez answered by scoring next for the Hawks.
• Jayden Montagna followed suit to give WNE a 2-1 advantage.
• Max Patenaude would not miss after Montagna, and after four penalty kick takers, there were four goals.
• Shay O'Neill scored his penalty kick after Patenaude to give WNE a 3-2 advantage.
• Aidan Jennings would match O'Neill with a low shot, hitting the back of the net.
• Jack Leland would step up fourth for WNE, and Panaccione would make the save to allow RWU to feel a win coming.
• Patrick Marino would follow with a goal to put the pressure on Riley.
• Ben Riley made his penalty kick, and it was down to Jorge Beltran and Braylon Casinghino.
• Jorge Beltran would find the bottom right corner of the goal to send the Hawks to the conference finals 5-4 in penalty kicks.

Inside the Lines:

• The Golden Bears fell in the conference semifinals to the number one seed, Roger Williams University, 5-4, in penalty kicks.
• The Golden Bears scored first thanks to a Ben Riley goal off a Nigel Martin assist. WNE led 1-0 in the 8th minute.
• Roger Williams equalized on a Dylan Thomas goal assisted by Eliot Panaccione. The score was tied 1-1 in the 15th minute.
• The Hawks would fail to convert a penalty kick before Dylan Thomas scored again in the 19th minute. Dylan Robbins had the assist, and RWU led 2-1.
• Jacob Dounetos found the goal in the 85th minute to tie the game at 2-2 with a left-footed shot.
• The contest would go to overtime tied 2-2.
• One hundred and ten minutes was not enough time for the teams to decide on a winner, so penalty kicks were necessary to determine a winner.
• Eliot Panaccione would make one save in penalty kicks, and that would send the Hawks to the conference finals.

Up Next on the Schedule:

• The Golden Bears' season comes to an end in Bristol. WNE finishes the season with a 9-9-2 overall record and a 6-3-1 conference record.