MANSFIELD, Conn. – Sophomore Clare Mulvihill broke a scoreless deadlock midway through the second half and the Connecticut College women's soccer team went on to shut out Eastern Connecticut State University for the fifth consecutive time, 1-0, in a non-conference match Tuesday afternoon at Rick McCarthy Field.
It marks the 11
th time that the teams have played to a 1-0 decision, Conn (6-2-1) winning for the fifth time by that score, first time in ten years. Eastern (4-4-2) dropped its third home match in four tries and has lost three of its last four overall.
Conn had several opportunities to score but couldn't convert until the 64
th minute. The Camels played the ball out of the back and first-year defender Alexa Weiner carried a long distance and over midfield before sliding a pass from the middle of the field to the left wing, where junior forward Lauren Anastos took three touches and cut diagonally into the box. Anastos sent the ball ahead, where junior forward Jamie Scarpantonio got a touch on it in traffic, as did senior Mya Johnson, who outmaneuvered an Eastern defender to keep the ball alive. Mulvhill then got possession with her right foot and sent a left-footed shot from 12 yards just over the hands of Eastern junior goalkeeper
Rachel Hughes (Columbia), who tried defending from her knees.
Conn had a chance to take an early lead within the first two minutes when Weiner rifled a corner kick from the left side through the box that two teammates failed to get a foot on to re-direct it.
In a scoreless game, Eastern's first shot of the game two minutes into the second half nearly found the back of the net, but Conn junior keeper Sarah Hall dove to her left to deny Eastern sophomore
Dani Rovalino's (Simsbury) free kick. Minutes later, Johnson sent a header wide, then hammered a 20-yarder over the crossbar before Mulvihill answered with the only goal of the match.
Conn's defense did not afford Eastern a corner kick while the Camels came up empty on nine of their own. Hall made three saves while Hughes, making her fourth straight start, stopped six shots in losing her second 1-0 decision.
Eastern hosts Castleton University Saturday at 3 p.m. in a Little East Conference match.
