SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (September 3, 2025) – The women's soccer program hosted Springfield College in an in-town rivalry showdown on Wednesday. The teams were even in the first half, but after the halftime break, the Golden Bears played with an unseen intensity that sparked two first-career goals. Tess Chevalier and Meghan Hartnett scored the goals to lead WNE to a 2-0 win over Springfield for their first win of the young season.

Records:

• Western New England: 1-1-0 (0-0-0)
• Springfield College: 0-2-0 (0-0-0)

How it Happened:

First Half:

• The first half saw the teams get a feel for the game and create a few chances on both sides of the pitch.
• Mallory Forgatch and Ainsley Napolitano stood strong in goal for the Pride and Golden Bears, respectively.
• Springfield had more shots during the first half, 8-5, but for the most part, the ball moved back and forth between the teams. Both teams had three shots on goal, but no goals resulted.
• The final second saw WNE send a shot on goal, which found the back of the net, but the goal was waived off because the clock hit zero first.
• Springfield controlled the corner kicks, 5-1, and WNE had more fouls and were more aggressive, 3-0.

Second Half:

• The second half saw WNE's offensive intensity overwhelm Springfield early.
• WNE earned a few early corner kicks, and then in the 58th minute, Gabby Sansone took a corner and made the goalie make a save. The goalie parried the ball away, but Tess Chevalier was there and found the back of the net with a shot to give WNE their first goal of the season.
• It only took eleven minutes for WNE to find goal number two of the game. First-year Meghan Hartnett got the ball in front of the 18-yard box. Hartnett created space and sent a looping shot over the goalie and into the net for goal number two of the game.
• The Golden Bears would not let Springfield find many opportunities after that and held on for a 2-0 win, their first win against Springfield since 2021, when the team won 2-1.

Coach's Corner:

Head coach Kristin Hensinger met with the Sports Information team after the win to talk about the game. Hensinger was first asked about her thoughts on the game and what she liked about the team's performance. "I thought we came out with a lot more intensity than we did in our first home game. That was something we definitely have been asking for in recent practices. We have been asking them to elevate their level of play, which they are fully capable of doing. I was happy that we started with intensity from that first whistle. We definitely looked a lot cleaner and crisper today. We have a younger team on the pitch at times, so we need to continue to grow at points. The team is starting to become more comfortable with each other and get to know each other better, allowing them to anticipate one another's movements more effectively. That is helping our offense have more success. Our defense has been solid, and the two new center-backs have really taken control and been more vocal. They have been anchors in the defense along with Ainsley, a transfer student, who has been very vocal in goal too," Hensinger stated. When asked about the play elevation, especially when it came to the crisp passing seen in the contest, Hensinger mentioned, "That comes down to individuals and teammates holding each other accountable and demanding better of themselves at practices and not just going through the motions. We discuss that in great depth with the team… They are starting to feel more comfortable with each other after the practices on Monday and Tuesday… The team really stepped up and rose to the occasion today after those tough practices."

The two goal-scorers spoke with the Sports Information team after the game as well. Both goal-scorers scored their first career Golden Bear goals. Tess Chavalier was first asked to take us through the opening goal and eventual game-winning goal. "It was a corner, and I asked my friend Liza, 'Where do you think this ball is going?' and she said to 'stay at the back post', so I stayed back a little bit. The back got kicked and hit again in front of a wall of girls. I chipped it over their heads and into the top corner," Chevalier explained. First-year Meghan Hartnett was asked a similar question, to which Hartnett answered, "I saw Emma Ford with the ball and wanted to make sure I moved off the ball and get open for her. Nobody was stepping to me, so I just took my space and ripped it."

Inside the Lines:

• The women's soccer team defeated Springfield College 2-0 on Wednesday.
• Two Golden Bears scored their first career Golden Bear goals.
• Tess Chevalier scored off a corner kick from Gabby Sansone in the 58th minute.
• First-year Meghan Hartnett scored in the 69th minute to gift WNE a 2-0 lead.
• WNE led in shots 16-14 after the full 90 minutes. They also led in shots on goal, 8-4.
• Springfield had more saves, 8-4, and corner kicks, 7-5.
• Both teams had five fouls during the game.

Up Next on the Schedule:

• WNE goes on the road for the first time in the 2025 campaign on Saturday, September 6, 2025, at 1:00 PM. They will travel to take on the Cougars of Clark University.