Box Score By Jonathan Mizger/Sports Information Staff
MANSFIELD, Conn. -- Trying to get at an even 3-3 record and defeat another non- conference opponent this season, the Eastern Connecticut State University field hockey team was giving their best against Manhattanville College Wednesday night at the Mansfield Outdoor Complex.
In the end, Manhattanville (4-3) was too much to handle for the Warriors, winning 6-1 for tis fifth straight win over the Warriors in this series. The match was the seventh away from home this year for the Valiants.
At the outset, Eastern was driving and pressuring Manhattanville sophomore goalie Courtney Ponte. Eastern missed on scoring opportunities early in the game – when it collected four of its five penalty corners -- and had Manhattanville on its heels until late in the first half
With 10 minutes and 52 seconds left to play in the first half, Manhattanville's Julia Esposito scored the game's first goal, her second goal of the season, and the Valiants never looked back by adding three more in less than eight minutes.
Over a minute later with nine minutes and 20 seconds left, Amanda DeChent scored Manhattanville's second goal and Eastern had to regroup with a timeout.
The Warriors were stuck in their defensive zone of the field for most of the end of the first half and had trouble getting out of their zone. Manhattanville scored late with three minutes and 36 seconds left by Kayla Meenan, her second goal of the year, and DeChent recorded her second goal of the night with two minutes and thirteen seconds left. At halftime, Eastern was down 4-0.
The Valiants did not stop their offensive attack as they kept challenging Eastern sophomore goalie Olivia Mullen(Bethel). With 28 minutes and 35 seconds left in the game, DeChent scored her third goal of the match, earning a hat trick and her 13th goal of the season, and giving her team a 5-0 lead.
Eastern did not go down easy; the players kept on going hard throughout the game. With 19 minutes and 31 seconds left, the Warriors finally got a goal by sophomore forward and team scoring leader Deisy Naranjo (Washington Heights, NY) on an assist from junior midfielder Finley Ahearn (Wallingford) The goal was the sixth this year for Naranjo.
Gaining her first win in her second career start, freshman Courtney Ponte carried a shutout into the middle stages of the second half before Naranjo broke through.
The Warriors got new life and still kept attacking Manhattanville's defense, but could not get anything in the net for the rest of the game.
With four minutes and three seconds left, Manhattanville's Rebecca McClintock scored the last goal and the last dagger into Eastern's chances of coming back.
As they lost their second straight game and for the third time in three contests at home this year, the Warriors look to end both losing streaks and get their first Little East Conference win when they host Framingham State University Saturday at noon at the Mansfield Outdoor Complex.
