Box Score SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Western New England scored in the final minute to push past the Roger Williams University Women's Soccer team 2-1 Tuesday afternoon in Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) action at Suprenant Field.
 
Another late goal by freshman forward Morgan Smith (Manchester, Conn.) lifted the Western New England University.
 
Smith, who has scored in three consecutive games and four of the last six overall, snapped a 1-1 tie with a clutch, go-ahead goal in the 89th minute, less than five minutes after re-entering the contest as a substitution.
 
Senior midfielder Christina Delude (Belchertown, Mass.) scored the equalizer for the Golden Bears early in the second half.
 
Senior forward Brooke Labrie (Granby, Mass.) was credited with assists on both Western New England goals. 
 
Sophomore goalkeeper Alex Lemekha (Stamford, Conn.) finished with eight saves, including five in the first half.
 
Senior midfielder Kasey Provost (Peabody, Mass.) scored the lone goal for Roger Williams on a feed from freshman forward Ali Waxgiser (Harding, N.J.) in the 19th minute.
 
Waxgiser and Provost combined for the game's opening goal at the 18:52 mark, as the freshman chased down a ball in the corner and sent in a cross to the senior, who settled the ball and buried a shot into the lower left corner of the net.
 
Western New England's only shot on goal of the first half came in the 38th minute, when sophomore midfielder Jordan Gilmore (Waterbury, Conn.) had her attempt saved by Roger Williams senior goalkeeper Natalie O'Donovan (Quincy, Mass.).
 
The Golden Bears equalized just 1:25 into the second half, however, when Labrie made a move into the box past several Roger Williams defenders and fired a shot on goal. O'Donovan made a diving stop, but Delude was there to put home the rebound at the far post.

Western New England had several opportunities to pull ahead later in the half, including shots by freshman Shawna O'Neill (Worcester, Mass.) and sophomore Kaeli Serafino (Ludlow, Mass.) that went wide in the 65th and 66th minutes, respectively.
 
With just over a minute remaining, Labrie sent a long pass from midfield to Smith, who chased the ball down just outside the corner of the box, made a move around the charging Roger Williams goalkeeper, and calmly slotted home the game-winning goal with a shot inside the far post.
 
Roger Williams had one more chance with a free kick in the final minute, but Lemekha made an easy save to seal the triumph.
 
With the win, the Golden Bears (6-1 CCC) vault ahead of the Hawks (5-1-1 CCC) in the conference standings. Western New England currently sits alone in first place, with Endicott College (5-0-1 CCC) set to take on Wentworth (2-3-1 CCC) tomorrow afternoon.
 
Smith leads the Golden Bears and ranks ninth in the CCC with five goals this season. Four of her five goals have come in the second half, including three in the 77th minute or later.
 
Roger Williams outshot Western New England 16-11 and held a 2-0 edge in corner kicks.
 
"We are extremely disappointed to have let this game get away from us," said Head Coach Tim Moody. "We played to win and stay in first place in the conference. We were brave and took the game to them. We got the goal we needed to win the game but didn't finish them off when we had the opportunity. We came out slow in the second half and they made us pay for that dearly.
 
"We can do better! It was a good lesson this afternoon. Losing is a good motivator and that will help us get back on track quicker than anything else. We put ourselves into a lead which lately we have been able to hold onto and keep the clean sheet. That didn't happen this time.
 
"We will have to come back here most likely in a couple of weeks and therefore will get a chance to bounce back and rewrite the record books. Now after playing them up close and playing them on their pitch, we will have a better idea of what it is going to take to beat this opponent.
 
"The playoffs are going to be very interesting this season and it looks like the team that turns up on the day prepared to compete, prepared to work hard will have the edge. It always comes down to who makes the fewest mistakes and those that capitalizes on those opportunities.
 
"We are not finished yet and we certainly aren't going to take these last few games for granted. In fact, I think we play better when we are fired up. Hopefully we will have the fans supporting us both at home and on the road as that is what it looks like for us if we keep playing and can get to the final this fall."

Western New England (8-6-2, 6-1 CCC) will be on the road for its final two matches of the regular season, beginning with Friday night's contest at Curry College. Roger Williams (9-7-2, 5-1-1 CCC) will also be in action on Friday at home against Nichols.
 
- Release courtesy of the Western New England University Sports Information Department