Seahawks' late surge comes up shy

NEWPORT, R.I. (October 20, 2021) - Western New England University women's soccer scored in the opening minute of play at Reynolds Field and added the eventual game-winner in the 25th minute before holding on for a 2-1 victory against Salve Regina University in Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) action Wednesday afternoon.

Freshman forward Lindsay Reidy (Chicopee, Mass.) scored her third goal of the season after converting a cross from senior forward Allison Bruehwiler (Old Saybrook, Conn.) just 47 seconds into the contest.

Sophomore Isabella Montalvo (Rocky Hill, Conn.), who did not start, scored her team-best sixth goal of the season with a tremendous individual effort. Coming on to a loose ball and battling Seahawk senior back Molly Leary (Portland, Conn.) for possession, Montalvo kicked it off Leary to create an opening and then sent it in off the far post.

Salve Regina head coach Jane Walsh 
"Western New England came out exactly how we expected, they're a team that's all in, so they'll just go for everything. If a ball's going out of bounds, it's going out 10 yards before they stop running for it. We settled it down, figured it out, didn't get shutout which I'm pleased with, and I think we won the second half."

The Seahawks (6-9-1, 2-4-1 CCC) boosted their shot totals by more than double in the second half (two in the first, five in the second) and got on the scoreboard in the 82nd minute. Junior goalkeeper Georgia Drake (Plymouth, Mass.) made a sliding grab on a cross into her box, quickly popped up to deliver a punt past midfield that freshman Meghan Moniz (Norton, Mass.) sent ahead to junior Meagan McLaughlin (East Hampton, Conn.). The Seahawks' leading scorer struck from the top of the box and went inside the left post for her team-best fifth goal of 2021 (5g, 5a, 15p).

Western New England (10-5-0, 6-1-0) stands atop all teams in the CCC with 18 points in seven games and two remaining. Sophomore Molly McLaughlin (Guilford, Conn.) made three saves for the Golden Bears as she's been the keeper of record in all 15 games this season. Similarly, Drake (6-9-1) has played all but 45 minutes (one half) of the Seahawk games and today registered two saves in the setback. A team save denied the Golden Bears another goal after a first-half corner kick.

Next Up
Salve Regina plays its remaining two regular-season games on the road and begins that trip at Bristol, R.I., to face Roger Williams University on Saturday at 3 p.m. The Seahawks end at the University of New England next Tuesday. Western New England hosts Endicott College on Saturday at noon, before finishing at Wentworth on Tuesday.