Box Score MANSFIELD – Junior goalie Jessica Purick (Riverhead, NY) made 12 saves for the second consecutive game and the Eastern Connecticut State University women's lacrosse team never trailed after the first goal of the match in a 13-9 non-conference win over Mount Holyoke College Saturday afternoon at the Mansfield Outdoor Complex.
After starting the season at 2-5, Eastern (5-5) evens its overall record following its fourth straight win this year and fifth victory over Mount Holyoke (2-8) in this six-game series.ls
The Warriors never trailed after scoring four straight goals midway through the first half, but could not nail down their third win in five days until four different players connected for goals in a span of six minutes that extended a one-goal lead into a five-goal, 12-7 bulge with seven minutes left.
A key sequence came inside the final minutes. With the Warriors clinging to a two-goal, 9-7 lead, senior attack Katie Burke (South Windsor) netted her 13th goal of the year on a feed from junior midfielder Michelina Pinto (Groton) with 8:43 left. Senior midfielder Maggie Bodington (Stratford) followed by winning the ensuing draw, and fed senior attack Jenna Glynn (West Granby), who wrapped up a hat trick and allowed Eastern to push its lead to four, 11-7, with 8:34 left.
Purick protected that late lead with three consecutive stops -- two on free-position attempts – en route to her fourth game of double-digit saves this year.
Burke and Pinto matched Glynn with three goals, Burke also contributing three assists and Bodington and Pinto two each.
Bodington won five draws and Pinto four, and Bodington, sophomore midfielder Tristan Kijak (Windsor) and senior defender Katie Calnen (Granby) all picked up three ground balls, with Calnen causing two turnovers.
Mount Holyoke leading goal-scorer Deyscha Smith, a junior attack, led the Lyons with four goals and an assist and second-leading scorer Leila Kouakou, a senior attack, added two goals. Sophomore midfielder Julianna Rankin, senior midfielder Kaitlin Braz, junior middie Haley Subocz all had five ground balls to help MHC to a +10 advantage in that category. Senior defender Julia Lankin won eight of her team's draws.
Eastern visits Fitchburg State University in a non-conference match Tuesday at 6 p.m.
