MANSFIELD, CT – Looking to avenge their regular season loss in Plymouth, New Hampshire, #3 seed Eastern Connecticut State University field hockey (12-5) squared off against #6 seed Plymouth State University (8-9) in the first round of the Little East Conference Tournament at Rick McCarthy Field. Behind the sticks of senior midfielder Bryce Makula (Guilford) and graduate forward Brianna Nolan (Watertown) in tandem with a stifling defensive performance, the Warriors defeated the Panthers by a final score of 2-0. The win sends Eastern to the Little East Conference Tournament Semifinals for only the third time in program history and first time since 2015.
 
    The Warriors controlled the tempo from start to finish in the match and through the first 15 minutes of play would not allow Plymouth State to take a shot on goal. Eastern would score on their first shot of the match against sophomore goalie Kayla Antonucci following the first of four penalty corners taken by first-year forward Liz LaMarco (West Hartford) in the first quarter. Set up by a pass from junior defender Grace Mangiameli (Suffield), Bryce Makula would fire a shot on goal which deflected off the stick of a Plymouth State defender and over the head of Antonucci to put the Warriors in front just five minutes into the match. The goal was Makula's first of the season while the assist from Mangiameli was the defender's first point of her three-year career with the program.
 
    The Little East Conference rivals would continue the physical battle back and forth throughout much of the first half following the goal with neither team manufacturing a quality scoring chance. Plymouth State would not record their first shot until 5:39 remained in the second quarter, when senior forward Jess Mezquita fired a shot wide of the goal for the Panthers only shot in the first 30 minutes of the match.
 
    As the first half drew to a close, Eastern would threaten following another LaMarco penalty corner. With a chance to score in a scrum on the left side of Antonucci, LaMarco pushed the ball to senior forward Corey Callahan (South Windsor) on the right side of the goal mouth. Callahan looked to finish the scoring chance, but a Plymouth State defender used her foot to stop the ball, resulting in the Warriors being awarded with a penalty stroke. Taken by the leading goal scorer for Eastern, Brianna Nolan, the forward lifted the stroke over the right side of Antonucci to give the Warriors the two-goal advantage heading into the break.     Throughout much of the third quarter, the physical play was consistent from both sides although neither team was able to create any offensive chances. First-year forward Brooke Mercier (Washington) recorded the only shot of the third for Eastern but was turned away by Antonucci while the Panthers continued to be stymied by the Warrior defense and would only manage to produce another shot by Mezquita that went wide.
 
    As Eastern began to taste victory, Plymouth State would look to make one last attempt to save their season in the waning minutes of the fourth quarter. Still trailing by two with just over four minutes remaining, the Panthers offense manufactured their best scoring chance of the afternoon. Sophomore midfielder Taylor Healey found open space in the circle before rifling a shot at junior goalie Sarah Gallagher (South Windsor) who made a phenomenal stick save diving to the left of the goal. This would be Plymouth State's first shot on goal for the game as well as Gallagher's only save of the afternoon.
 
    

With time expiring, the Warriors rushed the field to celebrate their first Little East Conference Tournament win since 2015 and their third-ever trip to the semifinals. The team's performance was far superior to the regular season matchup in which Eastern was outshot 24-9 (19-5 in shots on goal) and received just two penalty corners while the Panthers took 16 in the October 1^st match. On this day, the Warriors would outshoot Plymouth State 7-3 (6-1 in shots on goal), hold a 6-0 edge in penalty corners, and use a strong defensive performance from Mangiameli, Makula, first-year defender Aly Kendrick (North Branford), and sophomore defender Leah Kowalasky (Middlebury) to prevent the Panthers from applying any sustained pressure in the circle.
 
    Eastern will square off against #2 seed Worcester State University at Coughlin Field in Worcester, Massachusetts on Thursday afternoon with game time set for 4:30 PM. During the regular season, the Warriors dropped their Little East Conference match versus the Lancers by a final score 2-1 on the road back on October 23rd after Karalyn Jones knocked in the game-winning goal in the closing minutes of the match. Worcester State goes into the game with an 8-0 record at home while Eastern holds a 5-3 record in road games this season. The winner will advance to the Little East Conference Championship to face off against either Keene State or the University of Southern Maine.