MANSFIELD, Conn. -- The Eastern Connecticut State University women's soccer team kept its hopes alive for a share of the Little East Conference regular-season title Saturday afternoon with a 2-0 victory over the University of Southern Maine at the Mansfield Outdoor Complex.

The defending LEC regular-season champion, Eastern (8-8-0, 5-1-0 Little East) got second-half goals from sophomore midfielder  Tamar Merheb (Bethel) and junior forward Daniela Marchitto (Orange) to maintain a share of second place in the conference with Western Connecticut State University. Conference leader Keene State College moved to within a win of its fourth outright LEC title since 1996 by scoring twice in a span of less than a minute inside the final 15 minutes for a 3-2 road win over the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. Western scored the first two goals in a 2-1 victory at Massachusetts Boston.

An Eastern win Saturday over visiting Massachusetts Dartmouth (7-8-2, 2-3-1 Little East) and a Keene loss Saturday at Western Connecticut gives the Warriors a share of the regular-season title with Keene and Western. In the event of a two-way tie in the final standings, Keene holds the tie-breaker over Eastern due to its regular-season triumph and Eastern holds the tie-breaker over Western by virtue of its regular-season victory over the Colonials.

For the second straight LEC contest, Tamar Merheb scored the game-winner, this time with her fourth goal of the season less than two minutes into the second half on a header at the left post off junior midfielder Chelsea Downer's (Colchester) cross. The play originated when a free kick by Tamar Merheb's bounced off the hands of Southern Maine keeper Kat Rothe and over the end line, giving the Warriors a corner kick. Marchitto touched a short corner to Downer, who sent a cross from the right of the box to the head of Tamar Merheb, who was running toward the left post.

Eastern topped Southern Maine (2-12-1, 0-5-1) for the 12th straight time. 

Eastern's defense did not allow a shot in the second half and the offense added an insurance goal with four minutes left when Marchitto notched her team-leading 11th goal of the year on a pass from senior midfielder Jo-Ann Merheb (Bethel).  Marchitto, who has at least one point in the last four matches and in 11 of 16 contests this year, gained control of Jo-Ann Merheb's pass in traffic, split two defenders, and slid the ball on the ground inside the left post from inside the box.

Marchitto has 29 goals and 70 points in her career, ranking her in a tie for sixth in goals and seventh in points. Scoring more than Marchitto's  11 goals in a season has been achieved only nine times in the program's 25-year history

Eastern outshot the visitors, 15-2 and featured a 15-1 advantage in corner kicks. Tamar Merheb and Marchitto combined for more than half of the Warriors' shots.