Seahawks soar past Golden Bears

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. - The Salve Regina University men's soccer team defeated Western New England University 5-1 in Commonwealth Coast. Conference (CCC) action.

RECORDS:

• Western New England: 6-5-3 (3-2-0)
• Salve Regina University: 7-2-4 (3-1-1)

HOW IT HAPPENED:

The game began with Salve Regina kicking the ball back and starting with possession. That would be a big part of Salve Regina's early game plan. The Seahawks maintained possession and worked the ball from one side of the pitch to the other. However, they went for net once the Golden Bears got the ball. In the seventh minute, Ian Alves sent a shot at the SRU GK, Nathan Reid. The ball bounced in, and Reid handled it cleanly. The ball went to Salve Regina and stayed with them for possession. After a while of the ball going from one team to the other, Salve found their attack and put some pressure on WNE. The pressure would prove too much as Sean Lanzillo would take down an attacking Seahawk inside the penalty box for a penalty kick. Salve Regina's Kendy Prince stepped up to take the penalty kick. He took a few steps up and fired a shot right down Broadway and into the back of the net as Roger Leland dove to the right of the net. The goal put the Seahawks up 1-0. The following minutes saw a shot by Nathan Costantino go wide for the Seahawks and a shot from Mike Milazzo go wide for the Golden Bears. Milazzo had a shot on net in the 28th minute, but Reid was not phased and made the save. After that, the ball went from team to team, with WNE setting up more offensive opportunities, but not getting many shots off and onto net. That was until the 41st minute when Matt Spruill put a header toward the keeper, but Reid was there for the save again. The half would end a few minutes later with WNE trailing Salve Regina 1-0. 

Both teams had the same amount of shots in the first half (four). However, Salve Regina got one goal out of their four shots. WNE had three shots on the net, but all of them were saved. Salve Regina had two corners in the first half, and WNE had only one. Both teams chalked up three fouls in the first half. It was a tight game throughout the first half, and WNE was hoping to keep it that way in the second half.

As the second half began, you could see the first within WNE, but Salve Regina was not letting the Golden Bears unleash it. WNE started by getting a couple of shots off that did not make it near the net, but then Connor Knowlton put a ball at Reid. Reid stayed calm and made the save. A minute later, Salve Regina put a shot up, but it went high of the net. That was followed up by a shot from Sam Wisniarski in the 54th minute. Salve Regina's Aaron Muncaster found Wisniarski streaking into the penalty box and sent a ball right across the box to Wisniarski. Wisniarski met the ball with his head and sent it back across the net and into the back left corner of it to put the Seahawks up 2-0. Salve Regina kept the pressure on after the second goal. Emmet Schuele sent a shot at net, but it was blocked before getting to Leland. Jordan Borges also sent a shot in the 62nd minute, but it went high of the net. The 67th minute saw Salve Regina increase their lead to three. Ethan David would be the goalscorer. The ball was passed around, and then, after a deflection, David controlled the ball. David dribbled towards the net and then a rocket towards Leland, who could not make the stop. That put the Seahawks up 3-0. 

WNE would make many substitutions hoping to shake up the game. That is exactly what it did. In the 72nd minute, Nick Guidi put a ball into the box, and after the ball bounced off a Salve Regina player, the ball fell to the feet of Caleb Wu, who sent the ball right into the back of the net. The Golden Bears were only down by two now, with some time remaining in the game. The ball was traded from side to side, and not much offense was built until Danny Bond got a pass from Alec Quiroz and slotted it into the net past WNE GK Jacob Wadas. That goal in the 77th minute took all the air out of the game. WNE tried to get another score back, but Salve Regina did not let up on the pressure. Nick Diamond sent a shot at Wadas, but Wadas made the save. Quiroz had a shot at net, but it was lifted high. In the 86th minute, Salve Regina struck for the final time. Brandon Frank got a pass from number 17, Michael Manousos. Frank then sent a hard right-footed shot at the net, and it bounced in. The score showed 5-1 on the scoreboard after that goal. In the 90th minute, Christian Cinque tried a shot, but it did not worry Reid. The game would end there, 5-1, with Salve Regina as the victors.

The Golden Bears were outshot 14-9 in the game. Salve Regina had six shots on net, with five going in. WNE had five shots on net, with four of them being saved. Salve Regina was awarded more free kicks, with the Seahawks receiving five to WNE's four. Finally, WNE proved a little more physical than Salve Regina, as they were called for ten fouls to Salve Regina's eight.

NOTEWORTHY:

• Kendy Prince started the scoring with a penalty kick goal in the 19th minute. That is his fourth goal of the season.
• Sam Wisniarski had his third goal of the season in the 54th minute off of an Aaron Muncaster assist.
• Ethan David had his first goal of the season in the 67th minute to put the Seahawks up 3-0.
• Caleb Wu got his first goal of the season in the 72nd minute to keep the WNE hope alive. Nick Guidi was given the assist.
• Danny Bond put the Seahawks back up three in the 77th minute with his first goal of the year.
• Brandon Frank ended the scoring in the 86th minute with his first goal of the year to help the Seahawks win 5-1 over the Golden Bears.

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING:

"Historically, Springfield has always been a tough place for us to play.  This year, it's our longest away trip of the season and one always worries about the proverbial 'bus legs' when your team has been seated on a motor coach for over two and half hours.  But honestly, I thought there was a different approach and mentality to the team today.  The bus ride was very quiet and they seemed to be extremely focused on the task at hand.  I thought we controlled the ball reasonably well in the first half and the penalty kick awarded to us in the 19^th minute came from a stretch of sustained possession where we linked our passes and played through the lines efficiently after stretching out their defensive shape with some very good east – west ball movement.  Then in the second half, we just really put our stamp on the game as we elevated our off-the-ball movement to dictate the next pass and really find ways to penetrate their back line.  The goals by Winiarski, David, and Bond were all the result of sustained pressure in the attacking third resulting from good decision-making in possession." - head coach Craig O'Rourke II

ON THE HORIZON:

• Salve Regina will stay on the road and travel to Dudley, Massachusetts, to take on Nichols College on Saturday, October 15, at 3:00 p.m.