WORCESTER, Mass. (October 14, 2026) – A late goal from Tyler Lewis helped the Western New England University men's soccer team battle back to earn a 1-1 draw with Clark University on Wednesday evening at Granger Field. Despite controlling much of the offensive action, the Golden Bears found themselves trailing after Clark broke a scoreless tie in the 74th minute. Western New England responded with sustained offensive pressure before Lewis scored off an assist from Lucas Ritson at the 80-minute mark, securing the draw for the Golden Bears.

Records:

Western New England: 3-5-5 (2-2-2 CNE)

Clark University: 3-5-4 (1-2-1 NEWMAC)

How It Happened:

First Half:

• Western New England opened the contest on the offensive, earning the game's first corner kick just over three minutes into the match. The Golden Bears continued to generate attacking opportunities, with Nick Adzima recording the first shot of the contest in the 15th minute, sending his attempt wide of the target.
• The Golden Bears began increasing their offensive pressure as the opening half progressed. Andrew Macca had an attempt blocked in the 16th minute before Matty Leonard sent a shot wide just 31 seconds later. Jake Thibodeau followed with an attempt that sailed high in the 18th minute, keeping Clark's defense under pressure.
• Western New England recorded its first shot on goal at 21:03, when Lewis put an attempt on target that Clark goalkeeper Jaime Pedraza turned away. Jacob Dounetos followed with a header that went wide in the 23rd minute as the Golden Bears continued searching for the opening goal.
• Clark generated its first offensive opportunities in the 27th minute when Nicholas Dorr had an attempt blocked. The Cougars earned their first corner kick moments later before Carter Benoff sent a shot wide in the 28th minute. Those would be Clark's only two shots of the opening half.
• The Golden Bears returned to the attack following Clark's brief offensive push. Lewis tested Pedraza again in the 32nd minute, forcing the goalkeeper to make his second save of the afternoon. Western New England continued to work into attacking positions but could not find the breakthrough.
• WNE created one final opportunity before halftime when Ben Riley directed a header on goal at 42:32. Pedraza made his third save of the half, sending the teams into the break in a scoreless tie. Western New England held a 9-2 advantage in shots and a 2-1 edge in corner kicks, while goalkeeper Brendan L'Italien was not required to make a save during his 45 minutes in goal.

Second Half:

• Western New England wasted little time returning to the attack after halftime. Lewis had an attempt blocked in the 48th minute before Brennan Johnson sent a shot wide in the 50th minute. Macca added another attempt wide moments later, while Ryan Sunshine saw his header blocked in the 53rd minute. The Golden Bears earned three corner kicks during the opening seven minutes of the half.
• Clark began finding opportunities of its own as the second half progressed. Ryan Hoffelder put the Cougars' first shot on goal of the match at 52:52, forcing a save from Western New England goalkeeper Miles Lanier. Owen Bergin followed with an attempt that sailed high before Shahmeer Waseem forced another save from Lanier in the 57th minute, keeping the match scoreless.
• Both sides continued searching for the opening goal as the contest moved past the hour mark. Dounetos and Macca recorded off-target attempts for Western New England, while Jacob Ordonez sent a shot wide for Clark in the 68th minute. Lewis tested substitute goalkeeper Daniel Kellogg at 69:11, but Kellogg made the save to preserve the scoreless tie.
• The Cougars broke through at 73:04, when Marc Kim found the back of the net off an assist from Jordan Adeyemi, giving Clark a 1-0 advantage with less than 17 minutes remaining. The goal came despite Western New England holding the advantage in total shots throughout the contest.
• Western New England responded immediately, generating several opportunities in search of the equalizer. Sunshine and Ritson forced consecutive saves from Kellogg in the 75th minute before Adzima had an attempt blocked in the 77th minute. Nigel Martin followed with another shot on goal at 79:04, but Kellogg turned it away as the Golden Bears continued pressing.
• The sustained pressure finally paid off at 80:00, when Lewis scored off an assist from Ritson to bring Western New England level at 1-1. The goal came just 6:56 after Clark had taken the lead, erasing the deficit and setting up a tightly contested final 10 minutes.
• Clark nearly regained the advantage in the 84th minute when Adeyemi put an attempt on target, but Lanier made his third save of the half to keep the score tied. Western New England responded with additional offensive pressure, as Adzima had a shot blocked and Ritson sent a header high in the 85th minute.
• The Golden Bears continued searching for a winner in the closing stages. Lewis had an attempt blocked at 86:31 before WNE earned its sixth corner kick of the match. Ritson followed with another blocked attempt in the 88th minute, while Clark's Hoffelder had the final shot of the contest blocked with seven seconds remaining. Neither side found a late winner, and the match ended in a 1-1 draw, with Western New England holding a 17-9 advantage in second-half shots.

Key Performances:

• Lewis led the Golden Bears offensively, recording a match-high six shots, including four on goal, while scoring Western New England's lone goal. His 80th-minute equalizer helped WNE secure the draw after falling behind late in the second half.
• Ritson provided the assist on Lewis' goal and finished with three shots, including one on target. Macca added four attempts, while Adzima recorded three shots. Sunshine contributed two attempts, including one on goal.
• In net, L'Italien played the opening 45 minutes without facing a shot on target. Lanier entered for the second half and made three saves while allowing one goal, including a stop on Adeyemi in the 84th minute that preserved the tie.
• For Clark, Kim recorded the Cougars' lone goal, with Adeyemi earning the assist. Pedraza made three saves during his 66:11 in goal, while Kellogg added four saves over the final 23:49.
• Western New England finished with a 26-11 advantage in shots, including an 8-4 edge in shots on goal. The Golden Bears also earned six corner kicks compared with one for Clark, including four during the second half.

Up Next:

Western New England returns home to Suprenant Field for its first home match in more than three weeks on Saturday, October 17, when the Golden Bears host Conference of New England opponent Johnson & Wales University at 2:30 p.m.