SPRINGFIELD, MA - The Roger Williams University men's soccer team lost played to a 2-2 draw on Saturday against No. 1 Western New England in the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) Championship Match, eventually falling in penalty kicks 5-4 to the Golden Bears.
 
In total, Western New England out shot Roger Williams, 20-12. The Hawks had five shots on goal, while the Golden Bears had eight. Each team had four opportunities from the corner. Roger Williams goalie Jack Avellar (Orleans, Mass.) finished the game with six saves, which allowed the Hawks to survive and advance to penalty kicks.
 
The Hawks were the first to strike in the championship. In the eighth minute, Roger Williams found themselves on a breakaway toward the Golden Bears' goal. CJ Sousa (Fall River, Mass.) crossed the ball into the box, finding an open John Fogarty (Scituate, Mass.) who delivered a strike from the right side of the box. The ball deflected on a touch by the Western New England goalkeeper but was able to find its way into the bottom left corner of the goal.
 
Western New England answered with two goals of their own before halftime. The first came in the 12^th minute of play. A long throw-in by the Golden Bears made its way into the 18-yard box, where Mike Milazzo was able to score. The second goal of the half for Western New England came in the 33^rd minute of play. Off a corner kick, Mike Milazzo scored his second goal of the half, sending the ball to the back on the net on a header.
 
At halftime, Western New England led Roger Williams, 2-1. The Golden Bears out shot the Hawks 14-4 in the first half. The Bears also had an advantage in shots on goal, putting five on target compared to the Hawks' two. Hawk's goalie Jack Avellar recorded three saves in the first half, keeping the deficit to one goal.
 
With time running down in the second half, a pair of seniors for the Hawks were able to even the score at two. In the 75^th minute, Matt Bagley (Trumbull, Conn.) took the ball and dribbled down the left sideline. Before reaching the end line, Bagley sent a perfect cross to his former high school teammate Justin Horvath (Stratford, Conn.), who put the ball into the top right corner. Strong defense by the Hawks kept the game tied for the rest of the half, and the match went into overtime.
 
After two 10-minute periods for overtime, neither team was able to score. The match went into penalty kicks where, after an initial save by the Golden Bears goalkeeper, each team converted all their opportunities. With a final score of 5-4 in penalties, Western New England won the CCC men's soccer championship.
 
Roger Williams (8-4-9, 4-1-3 CCC) conclude their season with their second straight trip to the CCC Championship match.