MANSFIELD, Conn. – Losing games against solid non-conference competition had its advantage for the Keene State College women's lacrosse team, which started and finished strong Saturday against Eastern Connecticut State University and emerged with a 13-10 victory in the Little East Conference opener for both schools at Rick McCarthy Field.
 
Coming off a 16-6 loss earlier in the week to nationally-ranked Amherst, Keene State (1-6) shook off an opening six-game losing streak by defeating Eastern (4-3) for the fifth consecutive. The game between the two programs was the first since Keene eliminated Eastern in the first round of the 2021 Little East playoffs. Since winning its first four, Eastern has dropped its last three.
 
It marked the sixth time in the last ten meetings that the final margin has been three or less goals, with the Warriors having won four of them.
 

In a game of spurts when Keene raced to a 4-1 lead before the Warriors answered with five straight to take a 6-4 lead midway through the second quarter, the Owls took command in the fourth quarter by outscoring Eastern, 6-1.
 
Eastern junior Jessica Pyrek-Bennett's (Monroe) free-position goal with just over seven minutes left gave Eastern a 10-8 lead, but the Warriors went silent the rest of the way. On its final eight possessions, Eastern turned the ball over seven times and missed one shot. In the final seven minutes, Keene scored on four of its last five shots, including its final four, and committed only one turnover.
 
Junior Jackie DeAngelis, who had scored only three goals in the team's first six matches, matched that total in a span of two minutes and six seconds late in the game. Her first goal tied the match at 10-all with 4:39 left following an Eastern turnover, her second goal on a free-position opportunity – the team's only one of the game -- off another Eastern turnover pushed Keene ahead for good with three minutes left and her third goal 24 seconds later on an man-up opportunity made it 12-10 and sealed the victory.
 
Junior Haile Ratajack – the team's second-leading scorer entering the game and last year's Midfielder and Rookie-of-the-Year – led Keene with four goals and two assists and also caused four turnovers and picked up four ground balls. Team scoring leader Brigit Casey – last year's LEC Offensive Player-of-the-Year -- had two goals and two assists and won six draws. DeAngelis also had three assists.
 
Eastern season scoring leader Caroline Stent (Weatogue) scored both of Eastern's goals in the first quarter to give her 100 career points in 22 career matches at Eastern and added two more in the third quarter to twice break ties. Pyrek-Bennett chipped in with two goals and an assist but no other player had more than one for the Warriors, who scored half of their goals on free-position tries.
 
Stent, who entered play with more than 100 career draws in two years, won nine of the Warriors' 14 draws. Junior Payton Shannon (Vernon) picked up four ground balls and caused three turnovers and Pyrek-Bennett also won four ground balls.
 
Senior Haley Terva made 11 saves for Keene -- nine in the first half – but did not need a save when the Warriors were limited to only three shots. Eastern junior Sarah Gallagher (South Windsor) stopped eight shots.
 
Eastern visits Fitchburg State University Wednesday at 4 p.m. in a non-conference game.