Box Score SOUTH HADLEY, Mass. -- Mount Holyoke College, a winner of only two matches in each of the last three years, scored in the 60^th minute to upend Eastern Connecticut State University, 1-0, in the 2023 opener for both teams at the MHC Soccer Field Friday evening.

Mount Holyoke, 11-69 in the last five years, got the game-winning goal from junior Hannah Keochakian off an assist from sophomore Anna Kennedy, and sophomore keeper Clarissa Govea matched Eastern senior Emily Wallace (Smithtown, NY) to win in the first match in this series.

Last year's team scoring leader a year ago with seven goals, Keochakian took a leading pass into the box from sophomore Kennedy and flicked a shot that was partially deflected by Wallace but found the right side of the net.

Eastern, 3-1-2 in its first six matches a year ago under new head coach Sarah Tompkins, missed a couple of scoring opportunities in the game, none more so than when Govea stopped sophomore Katelyn Herbert (Bethpage, NY) – last year's second-leading scorer -- on a breakaway, charging out and stopping Herbert's shot between her shins. In the first half, first-year junior transfer Olivia Mullings (Newington) narrowly missed wide left when she tried to knock in a cross from a teammate. Herbert took four of Eastern's 12 shots, forcing Govea to make saves on three of them.

Playing without last year's leading scorer in Briley Harnois (Attleboro, MA), half of Eastern's lineup of field players consisted of first-year players in forwards Mullings and Anna Loveless (Avon), midfielders Mia DeMartino (Tolland) and Emily Dunlea (Attleboro, MA), and defender Arianna Tomassi (Guilford).

Eastern hosts non-conference opponent Fitchburg State University Wednesday in its home-opener at Rick McCarthy Field at 7 p.m.

Mount Holyoke College Sports Information contributed to this report.