Box Score  

By Nik Lassonde '25

MANSFIELD, Conn. – An Eastern Connecticut State University field hockey team which has struggled to score goals this season found its groove Thursday afternoon at Rick McCarthy Field, with all 25 active players seeing action and nine contributing to the scoring in a 7-2 non-conference victory over out-manned Albertus Magnus College.

Junior Emma Sanson (Thomaston) contributed to history versus the Falcons (2-14). She's the 15^th player in the history of the program to record at least three goals in a game and the fourth to do this twice in a career (second time this year). With a team-leading 11 goals,  Sanson is tied for fifth in the Little East Conference in goals and is now among the top five in goals in a season in program history.  

Senior Kiana Webster (Raymond, ME) started in cage for Eastern. The Warrior offense struck early as first-year Rebecca Minaya (Stafford) assisted Sanson's first goal at 3:53 in the first  15-minute quarter. Later in the first, Minaya got her first goal of the game and  Sanson added her second of the game as the Warriors (6-8) were up three after the first quarter.

Junior Hannah Jalowiec (Cheshire) played the second quarter in cage for the Warriors. Nearing the end of the quarter,  sophomore Katie Harrington (Keene, NH) added her second goal of the season with first-year Ryen Rossi (Somers) getting her first-career point on the assist.  In the final minutes of the quarter, Rossi got her first career goal assisted by first-year Bree Foucault (Wallingford), who who got her first career point with that assist.

Sophomore Veronica McKenna (Wethersfield) was in net for Eastern in the third quarter. Within the first 62 seconds of the quarter, Sanson finished off the hat trick by scoring her third goal of the game with graduate student Kaylee Drobish (Wallingford) assisting. Later in the quarter, Minaya added another goal – her seventh of the season, trailing only Sanson -- to make it 7-0. Senior Aly Kendrick (North Branford) got her first point in the last two seasons with the assist on that goal.

Nearing the end of the third quarter, the Falcons  were showing life on offense by getting four penalty corners in 81 seconds. They shot four times,  with  McKenna getting a save on a Laurel Maus shot.

Starting the fourth quarter, first-year goalkeeper Kate Paradise (Norwalk)  made her first career appearance. At the 52-minute mark of the 60-minute match, she recorded her first career save as Paradise stopped a Melina Tarzia shot. After Paradise made another save on a Terzia shot, the Falcons found the back of the cage as Jess Trocchio put one in. After yet another Tarzia shot and save by Paradise, Mariya Helmbold scored her third goal of the season as the Falcons struck again. Melina Terzia took all 12 penalty corners for Albertus Magnus College and had both assists on the two goals.

All of the team's healthy roster players saw at least 15 minutes, with ten of the team's 11 starters seeing less than 40 minutes. Coming into the game, Eastern averaged just over a goal a game but led in shots (24-11) and penalty corners (19-12), amassing a season-high total in both categories. The Warriors' seven assists equalled the most in program history in a game.  

Eastern (1-2 LEC) will host longtime LEC rival and 14-time conference playoff champion Keene State College (13-4, 4-1 LEC)  Saturday at 4 p.m. on Senior Day, and will host Plymouth State University (8-6, 2-1 LEC) Nov. 2 at 1 p.m. after visiting Western Connecticut Oct. 30 at 6 p.m.

The Warriors are in fourth place in the LEC, ahead of WestConn, Southern Maine and UMass Dartmouth. Eastern defeated Southern Maine at home and lost to UMass Dartmouth on the road this season. The top six finishers in the LEC qualify for the LEC playoffs (the top two getting first-round byes and the No. 3 and No. 4 seeds hosting first-round games Nov. 5).