Box Score
MANSFIELD, Conn. – Three weeks ago, freshman Leah Thibodeau scored a relatively inconsequential goal in the closing seconds of the third quarter in the University of Southern Maine's three-goal Little East Conference loss to Eastern Connecticut State University at Rick McCarthy Field.
Tuesday afternoon, in the first round of the LEC playoffs at Rick McCarthy Field, her goal was much more memorable, coming with 1:36 left in the first quarter and proving to be the only one of the match as fifth-seeded and defending conference playoff champion Southern Maine (7-13) advanced to play top-seeded VTSU Castleton in Thursday's 4 p.m. semifinal at Dave Wolk Stadium.
After scoring its second-most goals (4) in a match (on ten shots) in the 27-game series history on Oct. 12, Eastern (7-11) was limited to half that number Tuesday in failing to advance beyond the first round of the LEC playoffs for the third straight year after capturing the 2021 title as the No. 3 playoff seed.
On Tuesday, Thibodeau came off the bench in the eighth minute replacing sophomore Norie Tibbetts -- who had assisted on Thibodeau's regular-season goal against Eastern – and six minutes later, potted the goal which would stand up and vault the fifth-seeded Huskies past the fourth-seeded Warriors and into Thursday's semifinals.
On the scoring play, Thibodeau took a pass up the middle of the Eastern defense from sophomore Dylan Barr and blasted a lazer past Eastern senior goalie
Kiana Webster (Raymond, ME). It was Thibodeau's fourth goal of the year and Barr's third assist and came on her team's third shot of the match.
Junior goalie Eleanor Folson, who had allowed two goals in 30 minutes of the regular-season loss to Eastern, was not called upon for a save on Eastern's five shots. It was her team's third shutout of the season – first in 13 matches.
The Eastern defense – led by its starting trio of seniors
Aly Kendrick (North Branford),
Emma Stearns (Medway, MA) and
Morgan Anjos (Westfield, MA) and junior
Angelina Falleni (Byram, NJ) -- foiled USM on all ten of its penalty corners – eight of them coming, along with nine of its 13 shots – in the second half, but the Warriors could not break through.
Leading by that 1-0 score at halftime, the Huskies dominated the third quarter, outshooting Eastern, 8-1 and out-cornering it, 6-2 in preventing the Warriors from gaining any momentum. Senior Brooke Carson had a chance to give the Huskies a two-goal lead midway though the third quarter, but her low drive struck Webster's pads and bounced away. Three minutes later, Eastern's defense came up big again when Tibbetts' shot was saved by Webster and Barr's follow-up was blocked.
Eastern had qualified to host Tuesday's first-round match after defeating Plymouth State University in overtime this pasts Saturday for its sixth home win in nine outings. Tuesday's loss was Eastern's first by a 1-0 score in regulation this season.
