DANBURY, Conn. – First-year midfielder
Emma Sanson (Thomaston) scored her team-leading seventh goal of the season in the tenth minute of sudden-death overtime that carried the Eastern Connecticut State University field hockey team to a 2-1 Little East Conference overtime win over Western Connecticut State University Tuesday afternoon at the Westside Athletic Complex.
Coming off a conference overtime loss at Westfield State University Saturday, Eastern (6-8, 3-5 LEC) won for the third time in five matches following the win over WestConn and remained mathematically viable for the LEC playoffs for the seventh time in the last eight years. Last year's LEC playoff winner for the first time, Eastern has three conference contests remaining in the regular season, two of those teams currently showing a sub-.500 LEC record.
The win over WestConn (4-9, 1-7 LEC) is Eastern's eighth in the last ten matches in the series. Tuesday's game marked the sixth overtime one in the series, with Eastern winning for the fourth time. The Wolves dropped their fifth match in the last six outings.
WestConn graduate student Madison McColl scored the game-tying goal with 6:48 remaining in regulation, but Sanson scored the game-winner with 44 seconds remaining in the first ten-minute overtime to lift the Warriors and eliminate WestConn from LEC playoff contention.
Sanson's seven goals are the most by a first-year player at Eastern since 2014, when Alex Kallgren scored 11.
Senior
Grace Mangiameli (Suffield) scored on a breakaway a minute into the second period to push Eastern into a 1-0 lead and that margin remained for 37 minutes as Eastern dominated play (finishing with a 21-6 advantage in shots) until McColl tied it with seven minutes left in regulation.
Eastern senior
Erin Fainer (Thomaston) was not credited with a save in winning for the third time in four decisions. Fainer has been the goalie of record in the last three Eastern wins – two times as a starter and once off the bench. WestConn senior Kayla Hnasko made nine saves.
Eastern hosts Worcester State University Saturday at noon and Framingham State University Tuesday – both games in conference play – and closes out the conference regular-season Oct. 29 at Salem State University. Worcester State is 6-2 in the LEC, Framingham 4-5 and Salem State 2-6. The Warriors trail Framingham by a game for the eighth and final LEC playoff spot.
