Western New England Tops Nichols in Regular Season Finale, 2-1

Golden Bears will open CCC Tournament on the road this Saturday

DUDLEY, Mass. (October 25, 2016) – The Western New England University women's soccer team wrapped up its 2016 regular season schedule with a 2-1 victory over Nichols College this afternoon in Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) action. 

Top Performers
• Senior forwards Brooke Labrie (Granby, Mass.) and Samantha Emmert (Hyde Park, N.Y.) each scored first half goals for the Golden Bears, while sophomore goalkeeper Marissa Veilleux (Newington, Conn.) made a pair of saves during her 45 minutes of shutout action.

• Nichols junior forward Taylor Souza (New Bedford, Mass.) got the Bison on the board with her tenth goal of the season in the 71^st minute.

Match Review
• Labrie staked the Golden Bears to a 1-0 lead 19:28 into the contest after receiving a pass from junior midfielder Christina Delude (Belchertown, Mass.) and chipping a shot over Nichols sophomore goalkeeper Brooke Downey (Middleboro, Mass.) and into the back of the net.
• In the 28^th minute, Western New England junior defender Marielle Caron (East Longmeadow, Mass.) sent a pass over the Nichols defense and connected with Emmert, who was able to slot home her fifth goal of the season and give the Golden Bears a 2-0 lead.
• The Bison had an opportunity to cut into their deficit in the 36^th minute, but junior midfielder Danielle Barry's (Springfield, Mass.) shot rung off the post.
• Nichols finally broke through in the 71^st minute, as Souza made it 2-1 with the help of an assist from senior Brooke Maher (North Attleboro, Mass.).
• Western New England freshman Alexandra Lemekha (Stamford, Conn.), who took over in goal for the second half, helped secure the win with a pair of late saves.  

Notes
• Emmert, who scored for the second consecutive game, leads the Golden Bears with five goals this season. Emmert and Labrie are tied for the team lead with ten points each.
• Nichols outshot Western New England by a 10-9 margin, while the two teams were even with three corner kicks each.
• Freshman midfielder Julia Sarnelli (Island Park, N.Y.) led the Golden Bears with three shots, including two on goal.
• Western New England is back in the CCC Tournament after failing to qualify for the postseason last fall.

Up Next
Western New England (6-10-3, 3-5-1 CCC) will be on the road as the seventh seed this Saturday for the quarterfinal round of the CCC Tournament at second-seeded Wentworth. Nichols sees its season come to a close at 4-12-1 (1-8 CCC).