BRISTOL, R.I. – The No. 2 seeded Roger Williams University men's soccer team was able to come away with the victory Wednesday evening at Bayside Field, battling the No. 3 Western New England Golden Bears, 1-0.
 
The Hawks defense stood strong, as the Golden Bears and Roger Williams were in a defensive struggle throughout the match, with neither side gaining much traction. The Hawks outshot the Western New England 11-7, putting 6 shots on net.  Goalkeeper Jack Avellar (Orleans, Mass.) saved each of the four shots that he faced. Roger Leeland of Western New England made five saves on the night.
 
In the first half the Hawks put five shots on net to Western New England's three, holding the Western New England offense at bay. Both offenses were held scoreless in the match with the two sides going back and forth on the attacking end.
 
It was not until late in the second half when the Hawks offense found their opening.  Roger Williams scored after Niall Shea (Portsmouth, R.I.) fired a ball from midfield, that landed inside the box at the feet of CJ Sousa (Fall River, Mass.). Sousa then became the hero of the night, firing his shot past Leland.
 
Roger Williams (13-2-4, 6-2-1 CCC) will enter the CCC Championship Game for the first time since 2018, hosting No. 4 Suffolk on Saturday, Nov. 5 after the Rams earned a 2-0 victory over No. 1 Endicott. This is the first time the CCC Men's Soccer Championship game will be played at Bayside Field since 2012.