Golden Bears Fall to UNE in CCC Title Game, 1-0

BIDDEFORD, Maine (November 3, 2018) – The fourth-seeded Western New England University women's soccer team was edged 1-0 by third-seeded University of New England on Saturday afternoon in the championship match of the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) Tournament at UNE's Blue Storm Stadium.

With the win, UNE (10-7-2) earns its first CCC crown since 2000 and the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament. Western New England, which was making its first appearance in the CCC title match since 2009, sees its season come to a close at 8-8-5.

Top Performers
UNE senior midfielder Avery Bond (Jefferson, Maine) scored the lone goal of the contest late in the first half with the help of an assist from junior Jessie Maywalt (Wall, N.J.).

Nor'easters sophomore goalkeeper Jenna Pannone (Prospect, Conn.) stopped four shots to earn the shutout.

Western New England junior goalkeeper Alex Lemekha (Stamford, Conn.) finished with seven saves for the Golden Bears.

Game Review
After over 43 minutes of scoreless action, Bond scored on a feed from Maywalt following a UNE corner kick to give the Nor'easters a 1-0 lead heading into halftime.

The Golden Bears, who outshot UNE 7-5 in the second half (4-2 SOG), had their best chance to tie the game in the 71^st minute.

Following a corner kick by sophomore Bee Murphy (Monson, Mass.), freshman Vanessa Chiarella (Hampden, Mass.) had a good look at an open goal but a UNE defender was able to clear the ball off the line to preserve the Nor'easters 1-0 lead.

Western New England continued to attack with several shots and corner kicks down the stretch, but UNE held on to secure the conference title.