Box Score MANSFIELD, Conn. -- The Eastern Connecticut State University field hockey team spotted Fitchburg State University an early goal before roaring back to post a 5-1 Little East Conference victory Tuesday afternoon at the Mansfield Outdoor Complex.
At right: Senior midfielder Finley Ahearn
The victory for Eastern (6-4, 3-1 Little East) snaps a five-game losing streak at the hands of Fitchburg State (4-5, 0-4 Little East) and moves the Warriors from a two-way tie for fifth place entering the day into a four-way tie for third.
It is the third straight conference victory for Eastern, which finished last (12th) in the conference a year ago and, with seven regular-season conference matches remaining, has exceeded its entire conference win total from a year ago. The Falcons had won two of three entering play and had previously allowed the Warriors more than two goals in a match only once in the 13-game series.
Eastern's goal total equals its largest ever in an LEC contest, matching its output against Salem State University in 2002 and its total against Westfield State University the following year. The four-goal margin of victory in a conference match was exceeded only in the 5-0 triumph over Westfield in 2003.
It took Eastern only 26 seconds to tie the match after Fitchburg had struck first on the second goal of the season from junior forward Kaitlyn Silva less than nine minutes into the match. Twenty-six seconds later, sophomore forward Hannah Keiser (Danbury) tied the match with her first of two goals, giving her a team-leading nine on the season.
The Warriors went ahead for good four minutes into the second half on senior forward Morgan Osiecki's (Bethel) second goal of the season on the first career point from freshman midfielder Paige Schneider (East Lyme). Keiser made it 3-1 78 seconds later on the first of two assists in the match from senior midfielder Finley Ahearn (Wallingford). Ahearn tops the club with five assists.
Eastern chased starting goalie Lucy Holewa on freshman forward MaryKate Custer's (South Windsor) third goal of the year on an assist from Keiser to make it 4-1.
Holewa made six saves over the first 21 minutes, with sophomore Judith Valentin stopped four. Eastern freshman Samantha Scavo (Redding) needed just one save to record her fifth win against two losses.
Eastern played the match without injured freshman starting forward Elly Walker (Scarborough, ME).
Eastern hosts Plymouth State University Saturday at noon in a conference match.
