MANSFIELD, Conn. – The Western Connecticut State University women's lacrosse team scored 11 unanswered goals and went on to its 21^st straight Little East Conference regular-season win, 22-6, over Eastern Connecticut State University Wednesday afternoon at Rick McCarthy Field.
 
Five WestConn (13-2, 6-0 LEC) players combined for 17 goals to give the Wolves their fourth straight win over Eastern (5-9, 3-3 LEC) and move the two-time defending LEC playoff champions to within a win Saturday at the University of Southern Maine (9-7, 5-1 LEC) of their third straight unbeaten LEC regular-season title. WestConn has won 24 straight LEC regular-season and playoff games, last losing to Southern Maine, 15-9, in the playoff semifinals in 2019.
 
Eastern, which lost two starters in the pre-season and had three more on the shelf against WestConn, had a season-high three-game (home) winning streak snapped and enter Saturday's  regular-season finale at Plymouth State University (9-6, 5-1 LEC) sharing fourth place in the standings with Keene State College (6-10, 3-3 LEC). Keene closes out Saturday hosting Rhode Island College (1-14, 0-6 LEC).

 

Already assured of one of the six LEC playoff spots, Eastern will unofficially open the playoffs on the road as the No. 5 seed against Keene State if the Owls defeat Rhode Island Saturday. Keene defeated Eastern, 19-6, April 1 at Keene, NH.
 
Against WestConn, injuries left the Warriors without a substitute position player. The only substitute, sophomore Madeline Horkey (Montville) played the second half in net in relief of sophomore starter Emma Alford (West Hartford), who made nine saves over the first 30 minutes and left with the Warriors trailing, 14-2, at the break.
 
Junior midfielder Kaylee Drobish (Wallingford), and sophomore midfielder Emma Oliano (Wallingford) led Eastern with two goals each, with Oliano topping the Warriors with four draws and three ground balls. Senior Shay Ventresca (Oakdale), Eastern's leader with 56 points, won two draws but was held without a shot.
 
Junior midfielder Vicky Gracy and senior defender Meghan Lorenzen combined to win 15 of WestConn's 21 draws, with Gracy scoring four goals that gave her 55 on the season – third most in the Little East.
 
Plymouth's only conference loss this year came in a 19-9 road loss to WestConn this past Saturday. The Panthers have defeated Eastern the last six times the teams have met, including 16-10 a year ago at Rick McCarthy Field.