Golden Bears outlast Seahawks in OT, 3-2

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (October 21, 2015) – Junior forward Alan Haberern (Durham, Conn.) scored on a free kick in the 106th minute, capping the Western New England University men's soccer team's 3-2, comeback victory over visiting Salve Regina University this afternoon in Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) action at Suprenant Field.

Western New England (8-7, 6-1 CCC) was awarded the free kick with four minutes remaining in the second overtime session after a Salve Regina (5-9-1, 3-4 CCC) defender was whistled for a hand ball just outside the top right corner of the penalty area. Haberern stepped up and placed his shot past the dive of Seahawks' freshman goalkeeper Michael Payan (Fort Lee, N.J.) into the bottom left corner of the net for the first goal of his career.

The junior's game-winning strike put the finishing touches on Western New England's hard fought triumph, as the Golden Bears battled back from a pair of one-goal deficits in the second half to force overtime. Senior forward Chad Burke (Boxford, Mass.) leveled the score at 1-1 with his third goal of the season in the 48th minute, canceling out Salve Regina graduate defender Kyle Knoth's (East Islip, N.Y.) 11th minute header. Burke received a pass from sophomore Maurice Young (Walpole, Mass.) on the left side of the box, and tucked a shot inside the right post.

The Seahawks would regain the lead less than four minutes later, however, when junior forward Nolan Brady (Needham, Mass.) collected a loose ball and fired a shot past Western New England junior goalkeeper Kevin Strobel (Rockland, Mass.). Strobel matched a season-high with eight saves in this afternoon's contest.

The Golden Bears equalized for the second time in the 69th minute, tying the score at 2-2 and setting the stage for Haberern's heroics. Junior midfielder Neil Williams (Brewster, N.Y.) sent a cross into the box from the left side towards sophomore forward Troy Remillard (Palmer, Mass.), who was positioned near the right post. Remillard headed Williams' service back towards the center of the goal, where Young was waiting to tap in the equalizer.

The two teams combined for 51 shots in the back-and-forth, offensive affair, with Salve Regina holding a slight edge (27-24), and both teams putting 11 shots on target. The Golden Bears also took nine corner kicks to the Seahawks' eight.

Western New England will be back at Suprenant Field on Saturday morning at 11 a.m. to host Nichols College in another key CCC match. The Golden Bears, who are currently in second place in the conference standings, will celebrate Senior Day prior to opening kickoff. Salve Regina returns home on Saturday to take on CCC-leading Endicott College at 3 p.m.