Springfield, Mass. - September 6, 2017 - Senior forward Kim Quiles (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.) found the back of the net in the first half for what was the eventual game-deciding tally in a 1-0 victory over Western New England for the Springfield College women's soccer team on Wednesday night at Brock Affleck Field. With the win, the Pride is now off to a 3-0 start, while the Golden Bears are now 0-2-1 on the year.

In net for the Pride, Ciara Boucher (Manchester, Conn.) registered a pair of saves en route to her third win of the season, while her counterpart, Alex Lemekha (Stamford, Conn.) made six stops in the setback. Springfield College held a 20-2 shot advantage over 90 minutes of play and was awarded four corner kicks in the win. 

Springfield College put the pressure on Western New England early and never let up, as it finally broke through with under 10 minutes left in the period when the Pride was awarded a corner kick, taken by Quiles. The senior sent the cross into the box and after an attempted clear from the Golden Bears, the ball landed back on Quiles' foot, before she ripped one on cage that bounced off the hands of Lemekha and trickled into the cage to give the hosts a 1-0 lead. 

The Pride continued the pressure early in the second half as a corner kick from Gabrielle Fernandes (West Warwick, R.I.) in the early stages of the period found the foot of Nikki Kerr (Manchester, Conn.), but Lemekha came up with a big stop to keep Western New England's deficit at one. Later on in the half, Sara Swetland (Manchester, N.H.) put two more chances on the Golden Bears' net, but both opportunities were squandered by Lemekha. 

Next up, Springfield College will host Endicott College on Saturday, September 9 at 2:00 p.m. back on Brock-Affleck Field.