NORTH DARTMOUTH, Mass. -- The bad news:  Eastern Connecticut State University's bids to record its first unbeaten  regular season in Little East Conference men's soccer play and to become the first team to holds its conference opponents scoreless were derailed in a 1-0 loss to the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth  Saturday afternoon at Cressy Field.

The good news: The Warriors need wait only four days for an opportunity for redemption against the Corsairs.

Having already secured  the No. 1 tournament seed for the second time in five years, Eastern  (12-5-1, 6-1-0 Little East) finished with one conference loss for the sixth straight year after  UMass Dartmouth (11-6-1, 4-2-1 Little East) freshman John Macaroco scored his first career goal off  freshman Nick Gontijo's corner kick with 14 minutes left.

Assured the fourth and final seed prior to the start of play, UMass Dartmouth snapped a four-game losing streak and seven-game winless (0-6-1) streak against Eastern. with its sixth shutout win this year. Ranked eighthin New England, Eastern's only previous shutout loss this year came in the second match of the year in Canton, NY at the hands of No. 1 nationally-ranked St. Lawrence University (16-0-0), which has allowed goals in only two matches this season.

The goal was only the second allowed by Eastern in the last five contests with UMass. Five of Eastern's last six losses at the hands of the Corsairs have come by 1-0 scores.

For the second tim e in three years and for only the second time ever, Eastern will face UMass Dartmouth in the LEC tournament. The semifinal match is scheduled for Wednesday at 2 p.m. at Thomas Nevers Field.  In the previous tournament meeting in 2009, Eastern posted a 1-0 victory in the LEC championship game at the Mansfield Outdoor Complex. The other semifinal features last year's LEC finalists in No. 2 seed and defending champ Keene State College and No. 3 Rhode Island College Wednesday at  6p.m. at Keene, NH.

Eastern senior keeper Carl Appel (West Windsor, NJ) and UMass junior keeper Mike Phelan each made four saves.