Box Score
MANSFIELD, Conn. – Fifth-seeded VTSU Castleton gained redemption for a three-goal shutout loss in the regular season at fourth-seeded Eastern Connecticut State University, ending the match in the 107^th minute with an own goal that lifted the Spartans to a 1-0 Little East Conference first-round overtime playoff victory Tuesday night at Rick McCarthy Field.
 
As it did in its three-goal loss to Eastern (6-10-2) exactly one month ago at McCarthy Field, Castleton (9-10-1) was outshot by a wide margin (20-5), but this time kept Eastern from scoring, thanks in large part to the ten saves submitted by junior keeper Emma Ezzo (her fifth full shutout) and a stout defense.
 
With its second Little East playoffs overtime victory over Eastern in the last three years, Castleton advances to play top-seeded and defending LEC playoff champion University of Southern Maine in Thursday's semifinals at Hannaford Field in Gorham. The Huskies drew a first-round bye.
 
The 1-0 shutout loss was the sixth this season for Eastern, which had won three straight matches by shutout prior to a 1-0 loss at the University of Massachusetts Boston Friday night.
 
After the teams played to a scoreless tie though 90 minutes of regulation and through the first ten-minute overtime period Tuesday, the match appeared headed for penalty kicks (and an official tie) until the Spartans snapped a streak of 196 scoreless minutes against Eastern this year with 3:24 left in sudden death.
 
On the winning goal, Eastern senior defender Daria DiBiasio (Richmond, RI) tried clearing the zone with a pass along the touch line, but the ball was kept in by senior forward Rylee Pepin. Pepin took one touch and launched a long drive toward the Eastern goal, where an Eastern defender leaped and, stationed in front of first-year keeper Alex Ignatowicz (Coventry),  attempted to head the ball back to the keeper. The ball carried to Ignatowicz' right, however, and carried inside the left post, just beyond Ignatowicz' dive.
 
Ezzo, who had made six saves but allowed all three goals in the regular-season loss to Eastern, made no  less than three outstanding saves to keep the match scoreless. Two of her best came just over a minute apart – and just minutes before the winning goal -- and kept her team alive in the second ten-minute sudden-death period.
 
On the first, with seven minutes left, Eastern first-year midfielder Glenda Zhiminaicela (Clinton) turned in the box and fired a point-blank save at the net, where Ezzo dove to her right and knocked it away. A minute later, she turned in the save of the season. First-year forward Brooke Bolles (Preston) and Zhiminaicela strung together passes to get the ball to sophomore midfielder Emily Dunlea (Attleboro, MA), whose drive was headed under the crossbar before the 5-foot-7 inch Ezzo backpedaled quickly and timed her leap perfectly to tip the ball into the top netting.
 
Castleton, which was 3-8-1 since losing in the regular season to Eastern, had a chance to end the game three minutes into the first overtime when senior midfielder Alexis Billings'  low, hard crossing pass from the left flank carried untouched in front of Ignatowicz and out of the box.
 
With 14 minutes left in regulation, Eastern sophomore midfielder Lauren Weaver (Columbia) collected a failed corner kick on the left six of the box fired a shot which bounced off the crossbar and was cleared by the Castleton defense. Five minutes after that, the Spartans countered when sophomore defender Kristina O'Neil one-timed an Eastern serve right at Ezzo, who hauled it in.
 
Six of Eastern's seven corner kicks came when it outshot Castleton, 15-4 in the first half, but the Castleton defense rose up on each to clear the ball before the Warriors could muster a shot.
 
The most serious scoring bid of the first half came inside the final minute and came off the foot of Eastern senior defender Olivia Davidson (Waterford), but Ezzo leaped to punch it over the crossbar.