Box Score
MANSFIELD, Conn. – The day belonged to the three seniors on the Eastern Connecticut State University field hockey team, but the game-winning goal came courtesy of junior Sophia Ash (Mystic).

On a day when goalie Hannah Jalowiec (Cheshire), defender Angelina Falleni (Byram, NJ) and forward Emma Sanson (Thomaston) were saluted as the team's seniors, Ash recorded her first goal of the season to break a 1-1 tie and send the Warriors (6-7, 2-0 LEC) to an important 2-1 Little East Conference victory over LEC pre-season favorite Vermont State University Castleton Saturday afternoon at Rick McCarthy Field.

The victory was Eastern's first over Castleton (5-7, 1-1 LEC) for any of this year's players, who had absorbed four straight losses by a combined 23-6 margin, including a 9-2 dismantling the last time the squads had met at Eastern, in 2023.

This time, Eastern owned the game from the start, outshooting the Spartans by 12-3 and out-cornering them by 10-2 and out-hustling them in a scoreless first half.

Sanson's 29^th career goal – team-tying seventh this year – gave the Warriors a 1-0 lead 34 seconds into the second half. It looked like that lead might hold up before the Spartans earned the  equalizer with just eight minutes left in the game.

The tie lasted only 82 seconds, however, before Ash, scoreless to that point this year despite starting all 13 matches, swept in a cross from junior midfielder Grace Barlage (Guilford) near the left post that eluded Castleton senior goalie Zoe Martin for what proved to be Ash's third career goal (first game-winner).

Sophomore Rebecca Minaya (Stafford), whose crossing pass set up Sanson's goal in the opening minute of the second half (giving her a team-leading six assists), had her bid  to make it 3-1 turned away by Martin with 3:34 left and the Warriors were able to foil the Spartans' only penalty corner of the quarter to salt away their second home win in five contests.

After being dominated in the first half, Castleton gained its footing the second half, outshooting Eastern 8-4 and limiting the Warriors to one penalty corner. While Eastern broke through with its early second-half goal, Jalowiec turned away four shots in the third quarter that propelled her team into the fourth quarter nursing its 1-0 lead.

Making her fifth straight start, Jalowiec pushed her individual season record over .500 to 3-2. With six saves, she improved her season save percentage from .732 to .750 and lowered her goals-against average to 2.14 from 2.39.

A four-year starter on defense and midfield, Falleni played all 60 minutes and protected Jalowiec by helping to allow only seven shots to reach goal. With 11 minutes left, Falleni, additionally, blocked a shot from in close that kept Eastern's 1-0 lead intact.

Eastern's starting defense, which included junior Katie Harrington (Keene, NH) and Bree Foucault (Wallingford), also killed off a pair of  two-minute green-card infractions – creating man-down situations with Eastern leading with 4:23 left in the third quarter and with 12:18 left in the match.

With its fourth win in its last six outings, Eastern moves to within one of last year's entire win total and equalls last year's win total in conference games.

Eastern and Keene State (10-4, 3-0 LEC) are the conference's remaining unbeatens (the teams meet next Saturday at Keene, NH).

The Warriors host the University of Hartford Wednesday at 4 p.m. in a non-conference match in the first meeting between the programs.