SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (September 8, 2026) - The Western New England women's soccer team was led by
Liza Pinette and
Sophia Scyocurka, who both netted three goals each, as the Golden Bears breezed past the Corsairs of the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth on Tuesday afternoon, claiming their first victory of the 2026 season, coming away with a 6-0 win.
How it Happened:
First Half
- Western New England came out firing, scoring four goals in the opening 15 minutes to take a commanding 4-0 lead.
- Sophia Scyocurka opened the scoring at 9:01, finishing off an assist from Ava dos Santos. Just 18 seconds later, Liza Pinette doubled the lead, as Western New England quickly came away with a 2-0 lead.
- Scyocurka struck again at the 12:18 mark of the opening half when Abigail Alicandro found the WNE sophomore for her second of the game and WNE's third goal overall. Pinette added her second goal of the game at 14:12 mark, quickly giving the Blue and Gold a 4-0 lead.
- The Golden Bears continued to pressure UMass Dartmouth throughout the remainder of the half, finishing with a 13-4 advantage in shots and a 4-2 edge in corner kicks, leading 4-0 after the opening 45 minutes of play.
Second Half
- WNE continued its offensive attack early in the second half, with Pinette completing her hat trick at just over six minutes into the second half, pushing the Golden Bears' lead to 5-0.
- Scyocurka followed just over three minutes later, completing her own hat trick, making it a 6-0 contest.
- The Golden Bears maintained possession and pressure throughout the remainder of the match, recording 13 shots in the second half while limiting UMass Dartmouth to six.
- WNE's defense held the Corsairs scoreless for the full 90 minutes, with Adara Boucher and Ainsley Napolitano combining for two saves. The Golden Bears finished with a 26-10 advantage in shots and a 6-3 edge in corner kicks. WNE took the victory by a final score of 6-0.
Key Performances:
- Liza Pinette netted her first career multi-goal game, scoring three times for the Golden Bears in the win. Pinette hat trick was her first three goals of the 2026 season.
- Sophia Scyocurka also netted a hat trick for WNE, producing her first career hat trick for the Blue and Gold, and first multi-goal effort of her career.
- Ava Dos Santos and Abigail Alicandro came up with assists in WNE's victory.
- Ainsley Napolitano and Adara Boucher combined for two saves and the shutout in the 6-0 win.
- WNE's six tallies are the most in a game since the 2021 season.
Up Next on the Schedule:
- The Golden Bears host Nichols College in their onference of New England opener on Saturday, September 12 at 12:00 PM from Suprenant Field.
