Lanzillo and Milazzo Net a Goal a Piece as the Golden Bears Shutout the Colonels to Open Conference Play

Milton, Mass. (September 17, 2022) - The WNE men's soccer team went on the road today looking to get their first conference win of the year at Curry College. The Golden Bears lost a tough one on Wednesday and wanted to bounce back against their CCC foes. On the other side, Curry looked to stay undefeated on the season.

Records:

• Western New England: 4-2-1 (1-0-0)
• Curry College: 3-1-1 (0-1-0)

How it Happened:

As the ball was passed backward to start the game, both teams were eager to put a goal on the board early. Curry sent a shot on net in the second minute to start the shots, but WNE GK Roger Leland was equal to the task. Mike Milazzo would answer seven minutes later with a shot of his own, but it would go wide of the net. After that, Curry would start to truly settle into the game as they sent three shots in the direction of the goal in five minutes, but none of them would worry Leland. The 21st minute would see Leland make another save to keep the game scoreless when he denied Curry's Lucas Drons. However, Drons would not stop there. In the 23rd minute, he would test Leland again, and Leland would make the save again. The Golden Bears could not get a shot on the Curry GK in the first half. They kept moving the ball and got some more shots off, but none of them had to be tracked down by the Curry GK, Brendan Cunningham. 

The first half would end at a score of 0-0. Curry outshot WNE 7-3 in the first half, with three shots on goal. Lanzillo saved all of the shots he faced in the first half. WNE did not have a shot on goal. Curry had more corner kicks than WNE at three corners to one. Curry also had more fouls than the G-Bears with eight to WNE's five. It was a tough half for both sides, but the game still had 45 more minutes to get a winning goal.

WNE came out of halftime with a fire in their bellies. Three minutes into the second half, Ian Alves put a shot on Cunningham, who could stop it, and in the 51st minute, Malik Serriser would go for goal, but his shot was blocked before it could make it to Cunningham. However, a foul on Curry inside the penalty box would give the G-Bears their opportunity to strike first in the game. Mike Milazzo was selected to take the penalty kick for WNE. Milazzo jogged up to the ball and hammered a right-footed shot into the bottom right corner of the net past a diving Cunningham for the game's first goal. That goal put WNE up 1-0 in the 52nd minute of play. 

Curry would make the next push for a goal, but JD Santiago would have his shot blocked. That would be followed up by Carlson Rose putting a shot on goal, but his shot was also blocked. There would be a little back-and-forth between the teams, but WNE would get possession, and in the 65th minute, Milazzo would get his second point of the day when he found a streaking Sean Lanzillo on the left side of the field. Lanzillo would take a touch and then fire a left-footed shot into the bottom left corner of the net as Cunningham dove and saw the ball get past his fingers. That would put the G-Bears up 2-0 with less than 30 minutes to play. The play would continue, but no opportunities would arise until Lucas Dons put two shots, in back-to-back minutes, on net. Leland would make saves on both to preserve a shutout for the time being. Carlson Rose would put a shot on net in the 80th minute, but Cunningham would not let that shot by. Each team would get a couple more shots, but none of them would find the goalkeepers or the nets. 

The G-Bears' 2-0 win over Curry was fueled by 12 shots, four of which were on net. Curry had 14 shots and five on net, but Roger Leland would make all five saves to get the shutout. Curry had three more corner kicks than WNE, with five corners to WNE's two. In addition, WNE would be a little more physical than the Colonels receiving 13 fouls to Curry's 11. 

Inside the Lines:

• Today's matchup saw the Golden Bears go out to Curry College and hand the Colonels their first defeat of the season.
• After a scoreless first half, Mike Milazzo scored the opening goal after being awarded a penalty kick in the 52nd minute.
• Sean Lanzillo tacked on another goal in the 65th minute after an assist from Mike Milazzo.
• Roger Leland had five saves between the posts to shut out Curry.
• The final score showed 2-0 on the scoreboard when the final horn sounded.

Up Next on the Schedule:

• Western New England returns home on Tuesday, September 20 at 4:00 pm as Western Connecticut State comes to town.
• Curry will travel to Fitchburg as they take on Fitchburg State on Wednesday, September 21, at 4:00 pm.