SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Hoping for a opportunity at a perfect record in the pandemic-plagued spring season, the Eastern Connecticut State University field hockey team gave up the tying goal with nine minutes left in regulation and a golden goal 64 seconds into overtime in a 2-1 non-conference loss against Western New England University Sunday morning at Golden Bear Stadium.
 
With only this coming Saturday's non-conference road match at Roger Williams University remaining in the regular season after Sunday, Eastern (4-1) rode junior forward Corey Callahan's (South Windsor) second goal of the season into the latter part of the game, but couldn't capitalize on several chances to pad its slim lead and fell when WNE's (2-0) Taylor Klesyk scored the tying goal six minutes into the fourth quarter and connected on the game-winner a little more than one minute into overtime.
 

Eastern senior goalie Keira Integlia (Branford) kicked out five shots in a span of seven minutes in the first quarter to keep the game scoreless, and Callahan's second goal in two matches five minutes into the second half off  a penalty corner by junior midfielder Brianna Nolan (Watertown) and pass from junior midfielder Bryce Makula (Guilford) – her team-leading third assist of the year -- gave the Warriors a lead that had a chance to stand up.
 
Nursing that one-goal lead, the Warriors had an opportunity to add an insurance goal later in the third quarter but came up empty on three penalty corner tries in a span of just over a minute, with two bids by Makula and one by senior Julia Koonjy (Jefferson, NJ) either being saved or blocked.
 
Eastern's momentum carried over to the fourth quarter but two extra-man opportunities produced nothing, and Klesyk – who was issued two green cards in a span of five minutes that gave Eastern a boost – scored the game-tying goal in the 51^st minute and game-winner in the opening minutes of sudden-death overtime.
 
Integlia made nine saves – two in overtime – to keep Eastern close in view of WNE's 17-8 advantage in shots and slim 7-5 margin in penalty corners. Her close defense of sophomores Grace Mangiameli (Suffield) and Alyson Sanford (Waterford) and freshman Arianna Ricciardi (Wallingford) and the support of defensive midfielders Makula and freshman Leah Kowalasky (Middlebury)  kept the Bears at bay for the first  51 minutes of the 60-minute regulation game.
 
The teams were meeting for the first time since 2004, when the Golden Bears emerged with a 3-2 victory at the Springfield College Invitational to snap a two-game losing streak at the hands of Eastern.  In the last meeting between the teams at Golden Bear Stadium, Eastern took a 3-2 overtime decision.
 
Limited to two matches this spring due to the pandemic, Western New England was coming off Wednesday's 2-1 victory over city rival Springfield College (scoring the winner with 30 second left) heading into its only home match of the year against Eastern.
 
A victory against the Golden Bears would have given Eastern a program-record five-game regular-season winning streak. By winning its first four matches, Eastern did break the program record of two victories to open the season. The Warriors had outscored their opponent, 13-5 through four matches, with 4-1 victories at home coming in a Little East Conference match March 31 against Plymouth State University and  this past Thursday against New England College.