Box Score WILLIMANTIC, Conn. – Seniors Chelsea Downer (Colchester) and Daniela Marchitto (Orange) each scored twice and freshmen Maggie Sayers (Windsor Locks) and Brianna Curcio (Southbury) each recorded their first career points as the Eastern Connecticut State University women's soccer team shut out Rhode Island College, 7-0, in its Little East Conference opener Saturday afternoon at Thomas Nevers Field.
Last year's conference playoff champion, Eastern (3-1-1, 1-0 LEC) outshot Rhode Island (1-3-0, 0-1 LEC) 21-0 in building a 4-0 halftime lead and went on to its fifth straight victory over the Anchorwomen. Eastern is 11-1-1 against RIC in the last 13 meetings and has won six straight at home against RIC since a 2-1 overtime loss in current 13-year Eastern head coach Chris D'Ambrosio's first season.
Downer totaled her team-leading third and fourth goals of the season and also added an assist, while Marchitto's first two goals of the campaign served as bookends to a four-goal first half. Marchitto was last year's LEC Offensive Player-of-the-Year.
Senior midfielder Kelly Wallace (South Windsor) gave Eastern a 3-0 lead in the 32nd minute with her first goal of the year after assisting on Marchitto's goal which opened the scoring in the 12th minute.
Sayers and Curcio each came off the bench to register their first career points. Sayers had an assist on Eastern's sixth goal in the 72n minute when served a ball from the right flank which was headed in at the left post by junior midfielder Nicole Leonard (Rutherford, NJ). Curcio accepted a pass from junior midfielder Kaitlyn Kennedy (Burlington) and carried for 30 yards before unloading an uncontested shot from the right side.
Rhode Island sophomore keeper Audrey Maia stopped 14 Eastern shots, five coming in the opening minutes that kept the match scoreless until Marchitto broke through in the 12th minute on a shot from the left side that settled inside the left post.
First-year sophomore Rachel Skelton (East Lyme) made one save in net while playing the second half in her second college appearance.
Eastern plays the third of three straight home matches Tuesday at 7 p.m. when it hosts Westfield State University at the Mansfield Outdoor Complex.
