MANSFIELD, Conn. – Looking for their first Little East Conference Championship since 2013 and sixth since 2007, top-seeded Eastern Connecticut State University men's soccer faced off against third-seeded Western Connecticut State University at Thomas Nevers Field. A physical battle between the in-state rivals yielded the same outcome as the regular season match between the two squads, this time in favor of the Warriors (13-6-0) after junior defender Larson Richards (Mansfield) netted a penalty kick with just over five minutes remaining in regulation to propel his team past WestConn (17-6-0) and into the NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Tournament with a 2-1 victory.
 
    For the first 15 minutes, both teams traded possession in the middle of the field with neither able to work deep into their opponent's offensive zone as defense was the name of the game. Finally, in the 16^th minute, sophomore forward Caleb Ennin (East Hartford) would deliver the first charge of offense for Eastern as he rocketed a shot from the right side of the pitch and was denied by senior goalkeeper Daniel Szabo who made an impressive diving save with his forearm.
 
 Moments later, the defense of Eastern would come up with a stop when sophomore forward Franz Muhaj ran down the left side of the offensive zone and looked for a one-on-one opportunity against sophomore goalkeeper Dylan Pallanck (Willington) but Larson Richards was there to make a sliding tackle to neutralize the threat. The Warrior defense would come up big again in the latter part of the first half when senior midfielder Matthew Restrepo looked to take aim at Pallanck but was stopped by sliding junior defender Jared Caroline (South Windsor) to prevent the WestConn rush from continuing.
 
Despite an evenly matched first half of play, Eastern would hold a 4-2 shot advantage (3-1 in shots on goal) and force Szabo to make three stops to Pallanck's one as the match remained scoreless.
 

With the Warriors looking to take the lead and the Little East Conference Championship title, they would come out aggressive on offense. First it would be Ennin again, this time on an odd man rush in the 56^th minute who looked to challenge Szabo but the stingy WestConn defense would turn him away when junior defender Lucas Araujo converted on a slide tackle to stop his run down the left side of the offensive zone.
 
 First-year midfielder Kadin Talho would manufacture the first WestConn threat of the second half in the 61^st minute after taking a pass on the left from sophomore midfielder Kent Eannarino who drew the Eastern defense towards the middle. Talho would take a few steps in before firing on Pallanck wide left of the post to keep the game scoreless. However, just four minutes later WestConn would get on the scoreboard after sophomore forward Kent Eannarino located senior defender Harrison Allers in the box who headed the ball past Pallanck to put his team in front by one.
 
    The Warriors would not allow their opponent to seize momentum and the crowd was brought to life when first-year forward Sean Cafferty (Clinton) laced a shot around sophomore defender Mark Tricarico which was stopped by Szabo with a tremendous kick save. The ball would carom of his foot to senior defender Jackson Trierweiler (Framingham, MA) who was heavily guarded by Araujo and tipped the ball to first-year forward Logan Brennan (Farmington) who fired it into the top left corner to tie the score back up.
 
    First-year forward Lorenzo Lauria would have a chance to put WestConn ahead again in the 75^th minute when first-year forward Jackson Dacosta found him with a pass with only Pallanck to beat. Lauria's shot would be knocked down by Pallanck and cleared out by Caroline but WestConn would be unrelenting in their pressure. Dacosta would have his opportunity in the 78^th minute when he shot from just outside the box towards the left side of the net, but Pallanck would make a diving save.
 
    As the second half began to wind down, both teams worked the ball from left to right, but offensive opportunities were far and few. The difference maker in the match would come in the 85^th minute when senior midfielder Will Toomey (Willington) – named the tournament's most outstanding player – streaked into the box and was taken down by Lucas Araujo which led to a penalty kick. Richards would place the ball on the ground to the left side of the goal mouth as Szabo dove to his right to put Eastern ahead 2-1 with only five minutes remaining and momentum on their side.
 
    A chippy final five minutes led to four yellow cards combined between both teams, but WestConn would be unable to score the equalizer. As time ran out, the Warrior fans and their bench would begin the celebration as Eastern become the 2021 Little East Conference Champions for men's soccer for the first time since 2013 and improved to 6-1 in Little East Conference Championship matches.
 
    Dylan Pallanck finished the day with four saves on five shot attempts while Daniel Szabo matched him in the saves category on six attempts.
 
    Eastern earns an automatic bid into the NCAA Division III Tournament which kicks off next weekend and will now turn their attention to Monday when they will find out where they are going and who they are playing. The NCAA Division III Tournament Selection Show for men's soccer will be airing on Monday at 1:30 PM on the NCAA website (NCAA.com).