Box Score
MANSFIELD, Conn. – A hint that Wednesday's non-conference field hockey match with the University of Hartford at Rick McCarthy Field might yield plenty of offensive fireworks for Eastern Connecticut State
All 23 players in uniform saw action against Hartford,
among them Riley Olson (above).
University came early, when the Warriors amassed three penalty corners in the first three minutes.
Those early corners did, in fact, prove prophetic as the Warriors (7-7) equalled their season-high in goals and a set a season-high in shots in a 6-0 victory that evened their home record at 3-3 and provided what they hope will be a springboard when, beginning Saturday, they play three key Little East Conference matches over a span of eight days.
Against Hartford (3-9), a first-year program, Eastern's Big Three scoring trio of senior
Emma Sanson (Thomaston), junior
Grace Barlage (Guilford) and sophomore
Audrey Molin (Vernon) combined for five goals and an assist to lead a 28-shot barrage. Eastern reached .500 for the first time since splitting an opening pair.
Sanson and Barlage each scored twice after Molin provided a quick 1-0 lead with her eighth goal of the season on a rebound less than four minutes into play, and Sanson made it 2-0 with her eighth of the season two minutes later. Sanson later picked up her ninth of the season to give the Warriors a 4-0 advantage at halftime, and Barlage followed with her ninth of the year with five minutes left in the third quarter. With Eastern's second-teamers playing most all of the second half (and outshooting the Hawks, 12-1), sophomore
Ava Korineck (East Lyme) recorded her second goal of the season five minutes into the fourth quarter to round out the scoring.
All 23 players in uniform saw significant time as Eastern improved to 5-2 in its last seven matches.
After giving Eastern the early scoring edge, Molin picked up her first career assist on Sanson's first goal of the match, and junior
Betsy Davis (Enfield) and first-year player
Mackenzie Ray (Grantham, NH) were credited with assists on the final two goals of the match. It was Davis' first career assist and second of the season for Ray.
With Sanson and Barlage one goal away from ten on the season and Molin two shy, it would mark the first time in program history that three players would collect double-digit goals in the same season. Only in 2021 (which produced Eastern's only LEC playoff championships) with LEC Player-of-the-Year Brianna Nolan (15) and Isabel Sanchez (10) has Eastern had as many as two players reach ten or more goals in the same season.
Sanson's goals Wednesday were the 30
th and 31st of her 68-game career, while Barlage reached 20 in her career with her second of the match. With her two strikes, Sanson moved ahead of Eastern Alumni Hall of Famer Mo Deegan into second place all-time, six behind all-time leader Alex Kallgren. Barlage needs two goals to break into the all-time top five.
Eastern's starting defense of senior
Angelina Falleni (Byram, NJ), junior
Katie Harrington (Keene, NH) and
Bree Foucault (Wallingford) kept the Warriors' goalies well-insulated against the Hawks' offensive attempts. Eastern's three goalies combined on the shutout, with only sophomore
Kate Paradise (Norwalk) called upon to make a save. Senior
Hannah Jalowiec (Cheshire) played the first half, and improved to 4-2 this season. Junior
Veronica McKenna (Wethersfield) played an uneventful third quarter before Paradise came off the bench for the fourth time this year, playing the final quarter and kicking out the Hawks' only shot with eight minutes left to preserve Eastern's third shutout (in the last seven matches).
Eastern (2-0 LEC) visits Keene State College (11-4, 3-0 LEC) Saturday at 1:30 p.m. at the Owl Athletic Complex in a battle between the LEC's two unbeaten teams. The Warriors are 4-4 on the road this year, Keene 6-2 at home. Since the Warriors won three straight over the Owls – including both meetings in 2021, Keene has won the last three, including a 1-0 overtime verdict last year at Rick Mcarthy Field.
