Box Score
MANSFIELD, Conn. – In a match between two defensive-oriented teams heading for what appeared to be a scoreless draw (for the second straight season), it was, in fact, a header with under ten minutes left that lifted the University of Hartford to a 1-0 non-conference men's soccer victory over Eastern Connecticut State University Monday night at Rick McCarthy Field.

The only goal came on Hartford's (4-5-1) fourth and final corner kick of the game in the 81^st minute, with 6-foot-5 inch sophomore defender Brayden Tahiliani rising above his shorter opponents at the near post to knock in first-year midfielder Jared Noble's perfectly-placed corner.

Ironically, Eastern (7-4-0) had dominated the early going of the match by collecting six of its game total of eight corner kicks in the first seven minutes. However, those chances produced only two shots – neither of reached Hartford sophomore goalkeeper Cristian Vitti.

Eastern, which lost at home for only the second time in six starts, dominated the first 25 minutes before the Hawks slowly began accumulating chances. The Hawks' first corner kick did not come until midway through the first half, but their third corner attempt nearly produced the first goal, but senior defender Jack Merrill's header from in close off senior forward Nick Castrovinci's corner sailed over the top of the frame. Twelve minutes later, Hartford made another bid, but Eastern sophomore keeper Jack Harmon (Manasquan, NJ) was there to haul in Castrovinci's hard shot from the middle of the box.

After its early flurry of corner kicks, Eastern did not manage its seventh of the half until nine minutes left, but the corner carried untouched through the box and was cleared by the Hartford defense.

In the second half, Eastern threatened in the opening minutes but senior defender Lex Edwards' (Milford) booming shot from outside the box sailed over the crossbar. With 20 minutes left, Eastern was awarded a free kick after junior midfielder Reid Dowling (East Lyme) was knocked to the ground outside the box, but senior midfielder Niall O'Brien's (Guilford) attempt carried over the Hartford wall and over the crossbar.

The final 12 minutes of the match was controlled by Hartford. With 11 minutes left, junior midfielder Austin Murawski send a dangerous cross into the box that went untouched, and a minute later Murawski carried the ball left to right and unleashed  a scorcher that was blocked by an Eastern defender in the box.

Tahiliani's winning header – his only shot of the game and his second goal of the season – came on only the team's second corner kick of the second half.

Vitti needed only one save to record his second win and first shutout, while Harmon made two (first-half) saves in losing his fourth decision against seven wins.

The match was Eastern's fifth straight decided by shutout, the Warriors having won three of those previous four. The Warriors lost by 1-0 for the second time this year while the Hawks finally landed on the winning side of that score after coming off consecutive 1-0 losses. Hartford ended a three-game losing streak with its third win in the last eight matches.  The Warriors were coming off a pair of shutout wins and had won by shutout in three of their last four matches.

One of two unbeaten teams in the Little East Conference, Eastern looks for its fourth conference victory when it hosts the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth (6-4-1, 2-1-1 LEC) Saturday at 3 p.m. as it closes out the regular season with five straight conference matches. The Corsairs visit Massachusetts Maritime Academy Tuesday at 7 p.m. before facing Eastern. The Warriors are 5-0-1 against the Corsairs in their last six meetings.