MANSFIELD, Conn. – Team scoring leader Caroline Galligan scored four of her game-high total of six goals in the first 11 minutes to power the Western Connecticut State University to an opening run of ten unanswered goals as the Colonials kept pace atop the Little East Conference standings with a 20-7 victory over Eastern Connecticut State University Tuesday afternoon at Rick McCarthy Field.
Galligan scored on all six of her shots in the game and also chipped in an assist as Western (4-0, 4-0 LEC) defeated Eastern (7-4, 1-3 LEC) for the second straight season after ending a four-game skid against the Warriors in 2019. Eastern leads the all-time series, 22-5.
CHLOE MILLER (1)
(Photo by Cami Makula '21)
Senior
Tristan Kijak (Windsor) and sophomore
Caroline Stent (Weatogue) combined to win 11 draws and help Eastern to a +6 advantage in that category, but Western's defense forced Eastern into 21 turnovers and forced turnovers on half of the Warriors' 14 clear attempts. Eastern managed to get off only 20 shots, only nine coming in the second half when the Warriors hoped to cut into an 11-goal halftime deficit.
After Eastern was held to two goals in the first half, (Western sophomore goalie Anna Schipf made seven of her eight saves in the half), Kijak and Stent each won two draws and combined for three goals as Eastern scored four of the first six goals in the second half to cut the deficit to single digits, 15-6. At that point, Western got four goals from four different players to regain the momentum and pull away to a 13-goal, 19-6 lead.
Freshman attack Victoria Gracy complemented Galligan by contributing to seven goals by scoring four and assisting on three and won five of her team's draws.
Kijak scored five times for Eastern and won six draws and senior attack
Sydney Hogan (Northford) contributed three assists to move into a tie for tenth place all-time with 42 helpers. Kijak moved into seventh place all-time with 147 career draw controls.
Eastern looks to stop a three-game losing streak Saturday at noon when it hosts the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth in an LEC match at noon on Senior Day.
