Box Score
MANSFIELD, Conn. -- The Eastern Connecticut State University men's soccer team defeated 2-1 Plymouth State University (5-8-3/2-4-1 LEC) in a thrilling Little East Conference matchup Saturday afternoon at Rick McCarthy Field.
 
Two clutch goals by the Warriors (3-7-3/1-4-1 LEC) in the final minutes of the game secured the team's first conference win and kept Eastern' s LEC playoff hopes alive.
 
Down 1-0 with under four minutes left in the game, senior midfielder Walter Scudder (Unionville) had a diving header to the low right off a cross from senior forward Logan Brennan (Farmington), his first goal of the season tying the game.
 
Not two minutes later with the score tied at 1-1, a free kick put the ball into play in Plymouth territory. First year forward Eliot Melgar (New York, NY) found senior forward Sean Cafferty (Clinton) in front of the goal alone with the goalie. Cafferty's first shot was deflected by Plymouth goalie NicolasCornejo Mora before shooting again, the second one finding the back of the net for his team-leading fourth goal of the season and giving the Warriors the go-ahead goal with 2:01 left.
 
For Eastern, Melgar led with five shots with Scudder having four. The Warriors outshot the Panthers 21-16 and held a 15-2 advantage in corner kicks (11-1 in a scoreless first half). Senior keeper Nathan Yeich (Willington) had seven saves on the day for his first win in six weeks.  
 
The Warriors have won five straight against the Panthers with their last loss coming in 2017. This win ties the all-time series at 23-23-3.
 
Eastern's win, coupled with Massachusetts Dartmouth's 3-0 road loss to VTSU Castleton, moves the Warriors into seventh place, one point behind the University of Southern Maine and two points behind Castleton for the sixth and final playoff berth.
 
Eastern hosts Wesleyan University Wednesday at 7 p.m. in a non-conference match and closes out the regular season with two LEC matches, Saturday at UMass Dartmouth and Nov. 2 hosting conference-leading Massachusetts Boston.