MANSFIELD, CT – The Eastern Connecticut State University women's soccer team (2-2-0, 0-1-0 LEC) took the field for the first time in a week to face University of Massachusetts-Boston (5-0-1, 1-0 LEC) at Rick McCarthy Field and fell by a final score of 2-1 in their Little East Conference opener.  

    The Beacons got off to a quick start, but senior goalkeeper Alexis Tyrrell (Torrington) showed she was up for the challenge. In the 2^nd minute of play, senior midfielder Allie Crawford knocked a corner kick into the middle of the box which found senior forward Grace McGettrick who had her header swallowed up by Tyrrell in net. The 8^th minute would bring about UMass Boston's best chance to score of the half when a bouncing ball would find the foot of Crawford who passed it up to junior forward Kaylee Haynes with two Eastern defenders to beat. Haynes would outrun both Warrior players with only Tyrrell to beat before her chip shot over the senior goalkeeper went wide to the left of the goal.
    
    Eastern would have their first opportunity to score in the 10^th minute when senior forward Haley Montesanto (East Haven) found senior midfielder Sierra DeCarli (Tolland) a few feet outside the box. DeCarli's shot would sail high over the goal and junior goalkeeper Maria Spylios's who started the game for UMass Boston. Two minutes later, the Warriors would record their first shot on goal of the half on the free kick by sophomore defender Jillian Parenteau (West Greenwich, RI). Parenteau's ball took two hops into the box where it was deflected off the foot of Montesanto and gathered up by Spylios to keep the game scoreless.

    In the latter stages of the first half, Crawford would produce two more scoring opportunities for the Beacons when her free kick was caught by a leaping Alexis Tyrrell in net in which she was able to keep her feet in bounds to prevent UMass Boston from earning a corner kick. Moments later, Crawford would receive a pass from senior forward Morgan Palma near three Warrior defenders before sending a shot wide right of the goal. The score would remain tied at zero heading into the half with the Warriors being outshot 8-3 and 3-1 in shots on goal.

    Both teams would continue to battle back and forth to begin the second half with the Beacons again looking to draw first blood in the stalemate. But Alexis Tyrrell continued her impressive day in net, halting a breakaway attempt by senior back and UMass Boston's leading goal scorer Mary Jo Murphy in the 57^th minute to keep things even. Seconds later, a Warrior turnover in the defensive zone led to Haynes firing on Tyrrell who made a diving save to prevent another Beacon chance to take the lead.

    The first goal of the game would come in the 69^th minute when first-year forward/midfielder Briley Harnois (Attleboro, MA) scored her first collegiate goal for the Warriors. Senior forward Carlie Dreyfus (Stafford Springs) found Harnois down the right side of the field before the Massachusetts native worked around a few Beacon defenders and fired the ball off Spylios's hands and into the back of the net to put the Warriors ahead 1-0. Two minutes later, Dreyfus would have a chance of her own to help extend the Warrior lead when her shot from the left side of the box curved high and wide of the goal mouth.

    Kaylee Haynes would respond to the Harnois goal with a goal of her own in the 75^th minute on a bouncing ball that found the middle of the offensive zone. Haynes would fire a dribbler just out of the reach for Tyrrell for her third goal of the season to knot the game back up at one.

    The Beacons would earn the game-deciding goal in the 80^th minute of play when Morgan Palma found junior back Aliana Keely for a pass on the left side of the field. Keeley would cross the pass over to a streaking Haynes on the right side of the field and the junior forward would tap it off her heel into the left side of the goal to give the Beacons the lead. The Warriors would have a chance to tie in the final moments of regulation when sophomore forward Ashlyn Rogers (Portsmouth, RI) shot her free kick on goal but it was picked up by Spylios to give UMass Boston the 2-1 win.
           
Alexis Tyrrell continued her strong senior season in goal making 7 saves on 9 attempts against the Beacons.

Eastern will face off against Mitchell College on the road tomorrow at 12:00 PM. This will be the Warriors first time taking on the Mariners in the 36-year history of the women's soccer program.