WILLIMANTIC, Conn. – Senior  midfielder Sean Collins (Bristol)  set up junior forward Matt Furman (Montville) for the only goal of the match 11 minutes into overtime to lift the Eastern Connecticut State University men's soccer team to a 1-0, double-overtime victory over Rhode Island College in the 2011 Little East Conference opener for both schools Saturday afternoon at Thomas Nevers Field.

The game-winning goal came on Eastern's third shot of overtime. Eastern senior defender Aaron Smiles (Bedford, MA) dumped the ball into Eastern's offensive end and Collins served it to Furman, who headed a shot past  RIC senior keeper Nick Clark (East Bridgewater, MA) for the ninth game-winning goal of his three-year career.

Rhode Island (2-4-0, 0-1-1 little east) had extended the match five minutes into overtime when Clark saved a penalty kick by Eastern junior forward Cory Tobler (Portland) . The penalty kick resulted when Tobler was taken down in the box while working a give-and-go with Furman.

Less than three minutes before PK, Eastern (4-1-1, 1-0-0 little east) could not convert a prime  opportunity when freshman midfielder Nicholas Demo (Brookfield) fired an unmolested shot from the middle of the box right at Clark.

Last year's LEC scoring leader, Furman has 20 career goals and 55 points. The game-winner was his third of 2011.

Senior keeper Carl Appel (West Windsor, NJ) made three saves for his  third shutout of the season. The shutout ties the Eastern career record of 23.

One of RIC's best scoring opportunities came with five minutes left in the first half, when  senior forward Bruno Costa sent a crossing pass from junior back Donald Dane off the post.

The contest was  a re-match of last year's LEC semifinals at the Mansfield Outdoor Complex, when the third-seeded Anchormen advanced on penalty kicks against the second-seeded Warriors.

Ranked No. 7 in New England and the LEC pre-season favorite to win the regular-season title, Eastern extended its unbeaten streak against Rhode Island to five (3-0-2). The contest has gone into overtime the last three times the teams have met. Eastern is 6-0-1 against RIC the last seven times the teams have met on the Warriors' field, hree of those being decided by 1-0 scores.