Box Score
MANSFIELD, Conn. – The Eastern Connecticut State University women's soccer team scored two early goals and two late ones and moved closer to a first-round Little East Conference playoff home match with a 4-0 victory over the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Saturday afternoon in the final regular-season home match of the year at Rick McCarthy Field.
 
Now 4-2-2 in its last eight matches, Eastern (6-8-2, 3-2-2 LEC) moved into fourth place in the Little East standings with 11 points – two ahead of VTSU Castleton, which dropped a 2-1 decision at home to the University of Massachusetts Boston Saturday.
 
Unofficially, an Eastern win or tie in its LEC regular-season finale at UMass Boston (10-3-4, 5-1-1 LEC) Friday or a VTSU Castleton loss Saturday at unbeaten LEC leader University of Southern Maine gives Eastern the No. 4 seed and a first-round LEC home match Nov. 5. An Eastern loss and a VTSU Castleton loss in their final regular-season LEC matches also, unofficially, give the Warriors the No. 4 seed. Only a VTSU Castleton win and an Eastern loss would give the Spartans the No. 4 seed and relegate the Warriors to the No. 5 seed and a first-round LEC playoff road match.
 
Saturday, the Warriors extended their unbeaten streak against UMass Dartmouth  (5-9-2, 2-5-0 LEC) to 29 matches (26-0-3) by getting points from seven different players, and first-year keeper Alex Ignatowicz (Coventry) lowered her goals-against average in LEC competition to 0.32 and raised her save percentage to .957 in the conference by making seven saves. Overall, Ignatowicz leads the LEC in save percentage (.901) and is second in GAA (0.72). The full shutout was the fourth in ten starts for Ignatowicz, who has also shared two additional shutouts with sophomore Kaeden Dublin (Maple Grover, MN).
 
In its last eight matches, Eastern has outscored its opponent, 18-2 and has posted six shutouts.
 
Senior defender Daria DiBiasio (Richmond, RI) gave Eastern a 1-0 lead in the ninth minute when her drive from the right wing sailed under the crossbar, and junior forward Lilly Simpson (Norwalk) made it 2-0 midway through the period with a 20-yard blast set up on a takeaway and short pass from first-year midfielder Glenda Zhiminaicela (Clinton).
 
First-year forward Brooke Bolles (Preston) and senior defender Olivia Davidson (Waterford) scored nine minutes apart in the final minutes to account for the final score. Boles tapped in a loose ball in the box into an open net after UMD freshman keeper Emma Juelis and her defender collided, leaving the goal unattended. Davidson's first career goal came on a long free kick which dipped under the crossbar with 22.1 seconds left.
 
Trailing 2-0, one of UMD's best chances to score came with 9:30 left on a dangerous crossing pass from the right side by junior midfielder Ashlyn Aguiar following a Corsair throw-in, but first-year defender Tori Babineau (Charlestown, RI) stepped up to clear the ball out of danger.