Golden Bears and Engineers Battle to a 0-0 Draw

Springfield, Mass. (October 4, 2022) - WNE returned home from Endicott to take on the Engineers of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. WNE looked to get back on the victory train after the defeat at Endicott last Friday. RPI entered the matchup looking to do the same after their loss to Skidmore College on Saturday.

Records:

• Western New England: 5-4-3 (2-1-0)
• RPI: 3-4-4 (1-1-1)

How it Happened:

As the first whistle started the game, WNE passed the ball back to begin play. WNE pushed the ball forward, but RPI would take control quickly. That is how the first half would start. The ball went back and forth from team to team as both teams tried to set up their offensive gameplans. WNE's Ian Alves would get the shots going in the ninth minute when he sent a shot towards goal, but an RPI player blocked it before it even reached the net. In the 15th minute, Thomas Corcoran from RPI did the same. Again, WNE blocked the shot out of bounds, resulting in an RPI corner kick. Two minutes later, Brandon Lewis got a shot off that would get past the defenders, but not the goalie, as RPI's GK, Colin Such, got his first save of the day. That was quickly followed up by Lewis shooting again, but it was blocked. The ball would go back and forth with no shots being taken for a little while. In the 32nd minute, Connor Knowlton tried to put his stamp on the game, but Knowlton sent his shot right of the net and out of bounds for a goal kick. Lewis had another opportunity in the 37th minute, but the ball would go wide right of the net. Late in the first half, Gabe Terando, from RPI, took a shot hoping for the ball to make its way into the net, but Terando sent it right of the net and out of bounds. The half would end soon after, with the score being 0-0.

The first-half stat line favored WNE slightly. WNE held the shot advantage with six shots to RPI's two. Such had the only save of the first half for RPI. Both teams only attempted one corner kick each, and neither resulted in a goal. Lastly, the fouls favored WNE has WNE fouled RPI eight times and RPI fouled WNE six times. It was a tough first half, with both sides seeing opportunities. The second half would see even more excitement.

WNE started the second half with a fire in their bellies. They took the game to RPI to start the second half. The pressing resulted in a shot on net by WNE's Anthony Soucy. He sent a shot towards the bottom right of the net. Such would be there for the save to keep the score knotted at 0-0. RPI came right back with their first shot on net two minutes later. WNE GK Roger Leland stayed poised and made the save with ease. WNE ramped up the pressure, and three minutes after the RPI shot on net, Alves put up his second shot, and this time it found the goalie. Unfortunately, Such made the save in the top right of the net. In the 58th minute, Jonny Clough and Sam Riles tried to get shots off within the penalty box, but both were blocked. Finally, Shay O'Neill got onto the stat sheet with a free kick that he put just over the crossbar.

As the game continued, WNE kept their pressure on RPI, surprising the Engineers with how far up they played. It kept resulting in opportunities. Shots by Clough and Shay O'Neill in the 74th and 75th minutes, respectively, were results of the pressure. Carlson Rose also had a shot in the 76th minute, but it was blocked. Just two minutes later, RPI tried to take advantage of WNE playing up the field. Paul Silva got a shot off for the Engineers, but Leland was there for the save. The last opportunity of the game came in the 89th minute when Sam Riley got a shot onto net, but Such was there again to maintain the 0-0 draw. The final whistle sounded, leaving both teams with no goals and a 0-0 tie. 

The final stat line shows WNE ahead in shots with a 15 to five advantage. WNE also had more shots on goal with four to RPI's two. Leland had two saves for the Golden Bears. Such had four for the Engineers. WNE had one more corner kick than RPI, with the advantage being two to one. Finally, WNE had six fewer fouls called against them as the Engineers were called for 17 fouls to WNE's 11. 

Inside the Lines:

• The Golden Bears returned home to take on RPI in WNE's final non-conference game of the season.
• The first opportunity on net came from Brandon Lewis, but Such made the save.
• The final opportunity came from Sam Riley, who put the ball towards the left side of the net, but Such made another save. 
• Colin Such finished with four saves on the afternoon.
• Roger Leland saved both shots that challenged him in net.
• The teams finished the game tied 0-0.

Up Next on the Schedule:

• WNE will head out to Gordon College for an inter-conference matchup on Saturday, October 8, at 7:00 PM.
• RPI heads out to Schenectady, NY, for a Liberty League matchup with Union College. That game will be on Saturday, October 8, at 2:00 PM.