Hawks Top Golden Bears in CCC Semifinals, 1-0

Goal early in the second half sends Roger Williams to championship match

BRISTOL, R.I. (November 1, 2017) – A goal early in the second half lifted the second-seeded Roger Williams University women's soccer team to a 1-0 victory over third-seeded Western New England University in the semifinal round of the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) Tournament on Wednesday night at Bayside Field. 

With the win, the Hawks (13-7-2) advance to the CCC championship on Saturday and will host fourth-seeded Gordon College, which upset No. 1 seed Endicott College 2-1 in overtime in Wednesday's other semifinal. Western New England's season ends at 10-8-2.

Top Performers
• Senior forward Brooke Labrie (Granby, Mass.) accounted for two of Western New England's five shots, including one of the team's three shots on goal.
• Sophomore goalkeeper Alex Lemekha (Stamford, Conn.) finished with three saves.

• Roger Williams senior Kasey Provost (Peabody, Mass.) scored the game-winning goal for the Hawks in the 51^st minute.
• Senior goalkeeper Natalie O'Donovan (Quincy, Mass.) posted a three-save shutout. 

Match Review
• In a first half that featured just three combined shots on goal for both sides, Labrie had the game's first solid scoring chance in the 11^th minute. The senior launched a shot from the middle of the field several yards outside the box towards the left side of the net, but O'Donovan was able to punch the ball away.
• In the 25^th minute, Western New England had another opportunity to get on the board following a corner kick, but Labrie's shot was blocked by Samantha Woznicki (Bristol, Conn.).
• After the game reached halftime scoreless, Provost put the Hawks ahead in the 51^st minute. Roger Williams was awarded a free kick following a Western New England foul, which sophomore Alli Santacroce (Burlington, Conn.) took and sent a cross into the box. Woznicki was able to slip a pass to Provost, who buried a shot past Lemekha.
• Western New England had a few chances to equalize over the remainder of the second half, including in the 85^th minute, when freshman Shawna O'Neill (Worcester, Mass.) had a good look at the goal from the top of the box, but she was unable to get enough on her shot to get it past O'Donovan.
• The Golden Bears earned a corner kick in the 87^th minute, but freshman Morgan Smith's (Manchester, Conn.) cross was cleared away by a Roger Williams defender.

Notes
• Roger Williams outshot Western New England 11-5, but the Golden Bears held a 3-2 edge in corner kicks.
• Western New England's ten wins this season are its most since 2010.