MANSFIELD, Conn. – Last spring may have provided a glimpse of things to come this fall for the Eastern Connecticut State University field hockey team.
 
During last spring's abbreviated, Covid-marred schedule, the Warriors defeated Keene State College for only the fourth time in program history in late March, and followed that up by defeating Plymouth State University for only the fifth time.
 
This fall, they picked right up where they had left, winning on the road at the University of Southern Maine (in double overtime) for only the second time ever this past Saturday, and Wednesday, opening their home season with their first win ever over Springfield College.
 
Having been outscored by a combined 25-3 in those six losses, Eastern (2-1) shut the door Wednesday after an early Springfield (2-2) goal, getting the equalizer behind senior Brianna Nolan's (Watertown) 15^th career goal – fourth of the season – four minutes into the second quarter, and taking a lead it would not relinquish when senior Sydney Collentine (New Fairfield) scored her first of the season and first career game-winner off passes from Nolan and sophomore Kaylee Drobish (Wallingford) with just under a minute left in the third quarter.
 

Eastern's shutdown defense -- anchored by junior Grace Mangiameli (Suffield) and re-enforced by sophomore Leah Kowalasky (Middlebury) and freshman Aly Kendrick (North Branford) – kept the Pride at bay over the final quarter. Over the final 15 minutes, Eastern protected junior Sarah Gallagher (South Windsor) by allowing only one shot on goal, which was turned away by the goalie, who recorded her second career win in her third career start.

Six of Springfield's 11 shots in the match came in the third quarter, but Gallagher stopped all four that penetrated the defense. In all, Gallagher needed only six saves to lower her season goals-against average to 2.44 and raise her save percentage to .771.
 
Eastern controlled the tempo of the match throughout, threatening in each quarter. Sophomore Isabel Sanchez (Weston) was turned away on a 1v1 opportunity by Springfield first-year goalie Lyndsey DeLasho with six minutes left in the first quarter of a scoreless game, and again in the second quarter.
 
DeLasho made a pad save on a sweep shot by Eastern first-year player Liz LaMarco (West Hartford) with six minutes left in the second quarter of a tie game, and DeLasho kept Eastern's lead at one goal with another pad save on a long shot by Eastern senior Bryce Makula (Guilford) as time expired in the third.
 
Six minutes into the fourth quarter, Eastern threatened to open up a two-goal lead on consecutive shots in close from first-year player Brooke Mercier (Washington), but DeLasho turned both away.
 
Mercier and Drobish each recorded their first career points with assists. Mercier set up Nolan's tying goal early in the second quarter with a crossing pass, and after Nolan carried for a long run late in the third quarter, Drobish gained control and found Collentine with a crossing pass for what proved to be the winning goal.
 
Six different Eastern players each had two shots in the Warriors' 13-shot attack. DeLasho finished with eight saves.
 
Nolan, last week's LEC Offensive Player-of-the-Week, had scored twice in Saturday's Little East Conference victory at Southern Maine, ending the match late in the second overtime with her fourth career game-winning goal.
 
Eastern hosts Keene State Saturday at noon in a conference match. The Owls dropped a season-opening 4-2 road decision to Springfield Sept.  4.