WILLIMANTIC, Conn. - The Eastern Connecticut State University men's soccer team allowed a season-high goal total but never trailed, scoring twice in the final nine minutes en route to its seventh straight win, 5-3, over Plymouth State University Saturdawy afternoon in a Little East Conference match at Thomas Nevers Field.

Eastern's first three goals came from senior Matt Furman (Montville) but the winning goal came from senior Cory Tobler (Portland) in the 82nd minute 16 minutes after the Planthers had tied the match for the second time midway through the second half.

 With the win, Easern (7-0-0, 2-0-0 LEC) equals its best start after seven match since identical record which opening the 1978 season.

Furman, who has all six of his season goals in the last there matches, scored two of his goals in the first 5:26, the second one giving him 30 in his career and pushing the Warriors to a quick 2-0 lead.

Junior Christopher Giustina (Enfield) lobbed a pass over the defense to find Furman, who was able to settle the pass and beat the keeper to give the Warriors a 1-0 lead in the third minute. Just three minutes later junior Tom Vear (Monson, MA) tapped a pass over the defense, once again to find Furman who beat the keeper in almost the identical spot as the first goal.

Plymouth State  (2-7-0, 0-2-0 LEC), which has lost four of its matches by one goal, fought back however scoring their first goal in the 14th minute when senior Parker Spear grabbed the ball off a turnover and flicked a shot from just outside of the box. The shot was just under the crossbar and just out of Eastern freshman keeper Jeremy Battye (Reading, MA), who was making his first career start and appearance.. 

Plymouth, which dropped its sixth in a row to Eastern, tied the match with only three seconds left in the first half off a corner goal by freshman Petro Masumbuko . The Panthers crowded the box as the corner was going to be the last chance in the half. Masumbuko received the corner from sophomore Joss Knol. He then beat the keeper on the right side of the net for the goal.

In similar fashion to the first half, Furman struck early in the second, putting Eastern back in the lead just four minutes into action off of a corner kick by junior Mike Radlbeck (Westbrook), the ball found the foot of Furman who blasted a shot into the upper left corner of the goal giving him a hat trick for the game. 

Once again, however, Eastern was unable to hold onto its  lead  as Plymouth scored in the 66th minute to tie it at 3-3. Knol scored on a shot that snuck just under senior keeper Jordan Munsell (Waterford), who gained his seventh straight win after giving up two goals over the final 70 minutes.

Ranked No. 5 in New England, Eastern was finally able to put Plymouth State behind for good when Tobler scored after receiving a great lead pass from junior Carl Stensland (Storrs). Tobler was finally able to beat the senior keeper Bjorn Ohlsson on his third shot on goal in the game. The fifth Eastern goal was scored on a penalty kick by Bradley Fletcher (Middletown) with3:29 left. The reason for the penalty kick was due to an inadvertent handball by Joakmin Martinsson as he attempted to clear the ball with a kick. The ball went directly into his own hand.

Eastern visits Salem State University in a non-conference match Tuesday at 7 p.m.