MANSFIELD, Conn. – Senior Paige Schneider (East Lyme) and freshman Alyssa Powers (Ellington) each had five goals and senior goalie Taylor Emmerson (Colchester) turned back a season-high 19 shots as the Eastern Connecticut State University women's lacrosse team opened its Little East Conference season with a 15-8 win over the University of Southern Maine Saturday afternoon at the Mansfield Outdoor Complex.

Junior Katie Burke (South Windsor) had two goals and two assists when Eastern (8-3) – last year's LEC regular-season co-champion -- rolled up a 5-1 lead 16 minutes into play, and the Warriors' defense did not allow consecutive goals to Southern Maine (6-3, 0-1 LEC) until the final two minutes when the game was well in hand.

Eastern's dominance was sparked by a 17-8 advantage in draw controls, with senior Devyne Doran (South Kingstown, RI) and senior midfielder Caroline Regan (Niantic) combining to out-draw the Huskies by themselves, with a total of 11 (Doran 6; Regan 5).

The Warriors were in control throughout despite turning the ball over a season-high 34 times (just 16-of-32 on clears) and being outshot by seven. USM managed to convert only three of 14 free-position shots.

Schneider, who has scored at least one goal in her last 46 matches and in 51 of 53 in her career, all but sewed up the win for Eastern late in the first half . After USM pulled to within 5-2, Schneider scored twice in 13 seconds. Doran won a draw and Schneider connected for her first goal of the match on an assist from Burke to make it 6-2. Schneider then won the draw and took a return pass from junior Jenna Glynn (West Granby) to expand the lead to 7-2 with 4:32 left in the first half.

The LEC assist leader, Burke had three goals and four assists (giving her 14 assists and 19 points in her last three matches). Her seven points were a career-high. The LEC goals leader, Schneider reached 40 goals for the third straight year, completing the game with exactly 40 and 160 in her career (moving her past Ashley Prizio into fifth place all-time). Powers, who had ten goals in her first seven games, came off the bench for a career-high five goals and career-high six points.

The LEC leader in goals-against average and save percentage, Emmerson's 19 saves fell just one shy of her career high.

Playing on Eastern's home field for the first time since 2014, Southern Maine got two goals, two assists and three draw controls from senior Lauren Lessard, with senior Kaelyn Kuni, and sophomores Aliza Jordan and Alexandra Sardinha combining on 16 ground balls, Kuni matching Doran of Eastern with six and Jordan and Sardinha totaled five each. Senior Sam Campobasso also chipped in two goals, three draw controls and two ground balls for the Huskies.

Eastern visits Wellesley College Sunday at 1 p.m. in a non-conference makeup game.