DARTMOUTH, Mass. – The Eastern Connecticut State University field hockey team opened the 2015 with two victories for the first time in the program's 18-year history.

Saturday, in its Little East Conference opener against the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, it fell just shy of making it an unprecedented three in a row.

With Eastern (2-1) trailing by two goals in the first 23 minutes, sophomore Alex Kallgren (Dudley, MA) scored her third and fourth goals of the season 12 minutes apart to tie the game in the second half before freshman Ciara Anderson of UMass Dartmouth (3-1) recorded the first of her career with 2:16 left in regulation to give the Corsairs a 3-2 victory at Cressy Field

The one-goal loss to UMass is the third in the last three years for Eastern since losing by a combined margin of 17-0 the four previous years. The Corsairs finished third in the 12-team conference a year ago.

UMass generated the decisive scoring opportunity off a penalty corner with two and a half minutes left on the clock. Sophomore Erin Kish inserted the penalty corner to Anderson along the left wing of the apron. Anderson gathered the pass and blasted her first collegiate goal just past the outstretched leg of Eastern sophomore keeper Maddie LaRusso (Enfield), who had held the Corsairs scoreless after taking over to start the second half.
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The Corsairs jumped out to a 2-0 advantage just 23 minutes into the contest. Junior Hunter Carden scored her first marker of the season in the 11th minute, converting a penalty corner from junior Emily Anderson and Kish. Eleven minutes later, Carden lifted a pass from junior Katelin Morrissey over the shoulder of Eastern junior backstop Samantha Scavo (Redding) to send the hosts into the halftime intermission with the lead.

The Warriors charged out of the halftime intermission, needing just 97 seconds to slice the two-goal deficit in half.

Senior Mackenzie Brower (Granby) received the insertion from the penalty corner at the top of the apron and slid a pass to senior Laura Chicorka (Enfield) along the flank. Chicorka ripped a shot toward the net that was deflected into the back of the cage by Kallgren.

Eastern continued to ride their momentum, scoring the equalizer in the 49th minute. Junior Paige Schneider (East Lyme) broke in behind the Corsair backline and sent a diagonal pass back through the striking circle, where Kallgren deposited her second goal of the contest into the vacant net.

Eastern outshot UMD, 20-11, including 12-3 in the second half. Chicorka nearly outshot the Corsairs by herself, collecting ten shots, five of which required saves.

Sophomore Allison Burke collected her second win of the week, making seven stops. LaRusso made one save in losing her first career decision. Scavo made three saves.

Eastern visits Wesleyan University Wednesday at 5 p.m. before returning to conference play Saturday, hosting the University of Southern Maine at 2 p.m. in the first of four straight home matches.