WNE Falls to Misericordia in Second Round of the NCAA Tournament

Dallas, Pennsylvania (November 13, 2022) - After their win over York University in the first NCAA tournament round, the Golden Bears returned to Misericordia University on early Sunday evening for a matchup with the top-seeded Misericordia Cougars. The Cougars won their first game relatively easily by a score of 6-0. With both teams earning a shutout win in the first round, this second-round matchup would be a battle.

Records:

• Western New England: 14-6-2 (6-2-1)
• Misericordia University: 20-0-1 (8-0-0)

How it Happened:

Misericordia started the game with the ball. From the jump, the Cougars started applying pressure and trying to break down the Western New England Defense, which had been a brick wall as of late. Misericordia got their first shot off a minute into play, but it was blocked. A shot right after was blocked as well. Three more shots were taken in a row by the Cougars. Two of which were saved by WNE GK Molly McLaughlin. The third went high of the net. WNE tried to clear the ball and get some momentum, but Misericordia turned it around and, in the 8th minute, got another shot on McLaughlin. McLaughlin made the save again. In the ninth minute, Zoee Farr ran down the left side of the field and sent a left-footed cross toward the WNE penalty box. Michaela Fasolino went for the ball. It bounced off her head and landed right next to the goal. Fasolino turned and put a foot on the ball, poking it into the net. Misericordia led 1-0. WNE kicked off and tried to gain possession of the ball for a little while and set up the offense. However, a corner was awarded to Misericordia at the beginning of the 11th minute. Kaylee Sturans took the corner kick and sent a high-arching ball that Julia Beck rose up to and headed into the far right corner of the goal. Just like that, Misericordia had doubled their lead and was leading 2-0. 

WNE kept trying to possess the ball, but it seemed like every time they had some momentum, Misericordia took it away quickly. Beck had a shot in the 17th minute, and Fasolino had one in the 19th. Neither one made it to McLaughlin. Two more shots came in the 19th minute. One was on post, and the other missed to the outside of the net. Between the 20th and 30th minutes, WNE started to push the ball away from net and down the field, but Misericordia still got three shots off when they had possession. The 33rd minute saw Fasolino go for a second goal, but McLaughlin was there for the save. Misericordia finished the first half with four more shots, and one made it to McLaughlin, but McLaughlin kept the deficit at two. Going into halftime, the score was 2-0 in favor of Misericordia.

The first-half stat line showed the same story as the scoreboard. Misericordia had 20 shots in the first half. Eight of those shots were on goal. WNE was not able to get a shot off during the first half. The Cougars were awarded two corner kicks to the Golden Bears' zero. Lastly, Misericordia picked up four fouls in the first half, and WNE only had three. It was a tough first half that Misericordia dominated. WNE hoped to turn it around in the second half. 

WNE started the second half with the ball, hoping to turn the game around. However, Misericordia had other plans, as they quickly earned a corner kick in the 47th minute of play. The corner was sent into the box, bounced around, and found Sabrina Competiello. Competiello passed it to Fasolino, who put the ball in the back of the net on the left side of McLaughlin. The Cougars increased their lead to 3-0. The Cougars did not let up as they took six more shots in the following ten minutes. Two of them were on McLaughlin, and McLaughlin made both saves. Then, in the 58th minute, Fasolino received a throw-in. Fasolino quickly turned and sent a pass to Colleen Kinsella, who sent a powerful header to the left of McLaughlin and into the back of the net. That goal increased the Misericordia lead to four. Misericordia got another shot off after that, but then WNE showed their attack. Malina LaCapra took a free-kick opportunity and sent a shot high and left of the net in the 60th minute of play. The 62nd minute saw Samantha Vitka put a shot on the Misericordia GK, Madi Welliver. Welliver made the save easily. Chojnicki followed it up with a shot to the right of net. McLaughlin was put to the test again in the 65th and 68th minutes. She was there for the saves both times. WNE started to look like their usual selves, and the Misericordia cut through the defense and scored the fifth goal. Haleigh Wintersteen sent a long through-ball to a cutting Kinsella. Kinsella took a touch and then sent the ball past McLaughlin. The Cougars led 5-0. 

WNE kept weathering the storm from Misericordia, and it paid off in the 88th minute of the game. A corner kick was awarded to the Golden Bears toward the end of the game. Danielle McCarthy sent a curling corner at the penalty box. Vitka wiggled into a free area and got a head on the ball. Vitka directed the ball at the net and got a goal for WNE. The score read 5-1 on the scoreboard. Soon after, the final horn sounded on WNE's season. The final score was 5-1.

The final stat line showed Misericordia leading in shots (38-4), shots on goal (18-2), corners (7-3), and fouls (9-4). McLaughlin made 13 saves during the game. After a long postseason run, the season ended in Dalla, PA.

Inside the Lines:

• In the second round of the NCAA tournament, the Golden Bears faced the top-seeded Misericordia Cougars on their home turf.
• Michaela Fasolino got the scoring started in the 9th minute with a goal assisted by Zoee Farr.
• Julia Beck scored the second goal of the game for the Cougars at the beginning of the 11th minute. Kaylee Sturans sent a corner kick to Beck, who headed the ball into the goal.
• Michaela Fasolino scored the third goal in the 47th minute of the game. A corner kick was sent to the penalty box and passed from Sabrina Competiello to Fasolino for the goal. 
• The Cougars went up 4-0 in the 58th minute when Fasolino got the ball and sent a pass to Colleen Kinsella, who headed the ball past McLaughlin.
• The 78th minute saw the fifth goal of the game from the Cougars. Kinsella got a pass from Wintersteen and put the ball past McLaughlin.
• WNE scored in the 88th minute on a header from Samantha Vitka. Danielle McCarthy sent a corner kick to Vitka for the goal.
• WNE lost 5-1 to Misericordia.

Up Next on the Schedule:

• Western New England's season ends in the second round of the tournament. They finished with an overall record of 14-6-2 and a CCC championship.
• Misericordia moves on to the next NCAA tournament round, where they will face the Royals of Scranton University. The date and time for that game are to be determined.