Box Score MANSFIELD, Conn. – The Eastern Connecticut State University women's lacrosse team has had a recent history of winning games that extend into overtime, and the first home match under first-year head coach Devyne Doran '17 proved to be no exception.
 
Given two chances in the final minutes to break a 7-7 tie with free-position shots, senior attack Jessica Pyrek-Bennett (Monroe) capitalized upon the second, beating Salve Regina University junior goalie Grace Haesche low with 1:34 gone in sudden-death overtime to give the Warriors their third straight win, 8-7, in a non-conference match Friday evening at Rick McCarthy Field.
 
In a contest where Eastern (3-1) led twice by two goals and never trailed after giving up the first goal with two minutes left in the first quarter, the Warriors won in overtime for the fifth straight time dating back to 2016. The win snapped a two-game losing streak at the hands of Salve, which lost for the first time this year after four opening wins. In the ten-game series between the programs, seven matches have now been decided by three or less goals, four by a single goal.
 
The game was marred by 21 cards (12 yellow and nine green) which yielded seven man-up goals (four by Eastern). Two of Salve's three man-up goals came in the fourth quarter, when the Seahawks battled back from two goals down after Pyrek-Bennett's man-up free-position goal gave Eastern a 7-5 lead four minutes into the final quarter.
 
Free-position goals 1:33 apart by freshman Alix Madden (man-up) and junior Samantha Moleti (even strength) had tied the match at 7-7 with 4:22 left. With 1:46 left, Haesche reached high to snag Pyrek-Bennett's potential go-ahead goal to keep the game deadlocked, but the Seahawks couldn't capitalized on two potential game-winning shots in the final minute, the first saved by Eastern first-year senior goalie Mackenzie Brown (Southington).
 
Salve did not touch the ball in overtime. Eastern senior Kaylee Drobish (Wallingford) – the team leader this year in draws -- won her only draw of the game before Pyrek-Bennett was awarded what proved to be the game-winning free-position goal with 1:34 expired in the extra session. It was the fifth free-position goal of the match, third by Eastern.
 
Brown made five saves while Haesche stopped 14 shots, nine in the first half when the Warriors held a 16-7 shot advantage. The Warriors were shut out for the first 17 minutes but connected on four goals in the second quarter  and took a one-goal edge into the second half. Sophomore attack Alexa Vizzini (Vernon, NJ), last year's Little East Conference Rookie-of-the-Year, scored twice in the first half, sophomore attack Sydney Goyette (Westfield, MA) adding a man-up strike and senior midfielder Abby Parisi (Fairfield) chipped in one that gave Eastern its first two-goal lead (4-2) with four minutes left in the half.
 
Vizzini had four goals, three caused turnovers and two draws, junior defender Addison Twohill (Hamden) six ground balls and three caused turnovers and Pyrek-Bennett finished with two goals. Parisi had two assists, two ground balls and a caused turnover.
 
Madden and Moleti each had two goals for Salve, with Moletti winning five draws and picking up three ground balls.
 
Eastern faces Kenyon College Monday and Meredith College Wednesday, both at 5 p.m., at Panama City Beach, FL.