MANSFIELD, Conn. -- Freshman Alexie Root's (Old Saybrook) first career goal with eight minutes left in regulation forced overtime and her second career goal 6:34 into sudden-death overtime lifted the Eastern Connecticut State University women's soccer team to a 3-2 Little East Conference victory over Keene State College Monday evening at Rick McCarthy Field.
 
Eastern (2-2-0, 2-1-0 LEC) tied the game, 1-1, in the 62nd minute on freshman Ashlyn Rogers' (Portsmouth, RI) and after Keene (4-1-0, 4-1-0 LEC) went ahead three minutes later, Root scored off a rebound of a shot by junior Haley Montesanto (East Haven) to tie the game once again.
 

Root, who played 52 minutes off the bench, connected on the game-ending goal when she got behind the defense on junior Sierra DeCarli's (Tolland) one-timer which was launched from behind midfield, controlled it with her left foot, cut inside through two Keene defenders and ripped a low shot from inside ten yards on a line inside the far right post to give freshman goalie Emily Wallace (Smithtown, NY) her first career win against one loss.
 
Senior Nina Langton's (Bolton) throw-in and sophomore Emily Barata's (New Fairfield) thru-ball set up Rogers' first goal and Montesanto was credited with her first assist of the year when Root followed up her shot that was saved by Keene senior goalie Abbie Terrinca by sending the rebound from the right post inside the far left post.
 
 Senior Maggie Vogt had given the Owls a 1-0 with 13 minutes left in the in the first half when she blasted a 30-yard free kick under the crossbar, and after Rogers tied the match 16 minutes into the second half, sophomore Kayleigh Marshall re-stored the Owls' lead when the 5-foot-3 inch midfielder came off the bench knocked in a header off freshman Alexa Skinner's  free kick from the left side.
 
Playing up top with classmates Carlie Dreyfus (Stafford Springs) and Olivia Rovalino (Simsbury), Montesanto's speed created a number of chances for Eastern. Her 20-yarder from the top of the box which would have tied the match 75 seconds into the second half sailed just over the cross bar. After nearly springing Rovalino for an open shot in the first half, Montesanto nearly tied the game with 20 minutes left but her shot from the right side from in close slide just wide of the left post. Attempting to beat Terrinca to a thru-ball with five minutes left in regulation in a 2-2 game, was injured and left the game when she fell hard after tumbling over the goalkeeper to avoid a collision, but was able to return for the start of overtime.
 
Following Montesanto's near-miss in the opening minutes of the second half, Root's first career shot six minutes later from the left side travelled wide right. Eastern continued to threaten to tie the game at 1-all six minutes later, when Montesanto took passes from freshman Victoria Roman (Mexico City, MX) and sophomore Juliette Hogan (Preston) and had a prime scoring opportunity from the right post, but Terrinca  made a terrific right-handed save from point-blank range to keep the Keene lead intact. Three minutes later, Rogers finally broke through to pull Eastern even, 1-1.
 
Dreyfus was credited with her first career assist on Root's game-winner.
 
Wallace made seven saves while Terrinca stopped six shots. Eastern outshot Keene, 18-10, including 11-5 in the second half. The Warriors won the game on the only shot by either team in overtime, coming 23 seconds after the Owls were issued their fifth yellow card.
 
The match ends Keene's season while Eastern closes out Friday at 3 p.m. against Castleton University in a conference match.