Box Score
WEST HARTFORD – Graduate attack Avonlea LeBeau (North Branford) picked up where she left off after a stellar four-year career at Wheaton College by scoring six goals – including the go-ahead and insurance goals midway through the third quarter--  and winning eight draws in her Eastern Connecticut State University debut to power the Warriors to a season-opening 16-13 non-conference women's lacrosse victory over the University of Hartford Tuesday afternoon at Al-Marzook Field.

In a game which featured seven ties and four lead changes, Eastern scored the first six goals of the second half to erase its only two-goal deficit of the game as the Warriors improved to 10-4 against New England competition in two seasons under head coach Devyne Doran '17. It was the first meeting ever between the Warriors and Hawks (1-1), the latter team a member of Conference New England in its third season at the Division III level.

With the Warriors trailing 11-9 at halftime, Eastern got six goals from five different players in the third quarter and the defense – which included senior Gracie Bresson (Bow, NH) and Addison Twohill (Hamden) and sophomore Sophie Ramino (Haddam-Killingworth) -- shut out the Hawks over those 15 minutes -- allowing only five shots.

Senior midfielder Emma Oliano (Wallingford) – who missed all of last year with injury -- tied the game (11-11) for the final time six minutes into the second half, and LeBeau scored twice in just over two minutes to put the Warriors ahead for good, then give them a two-goal advantage, 13-11.

At Wheaton, LeBeau had 147 goals and 171 points and set season (141) and career (231) records for draw controls. Against Hartford, LeBeau finished with her game-highs of six goals and eight draws, winning three of the game's first four draws to help Eastern bolt to a 4-0 lead six minutes into action.

Senior Emma Alford (West Hartford) and first-year player Maizie Rukat (Manchester, VT) split time in net, Rukat gaining her first win by stopping the Hawks in the second half  in allowing only two goals and making five saves. Rukat shut out Hartford over her first 20 minutes of action, allowing Eastern to take a 15-11 before giving up her first goal five minutes into the fourth quarter.
Junior Alexa Vizzini (Vernon, NJ), a returning first-team All-Little East Conference player, scored four times, with her fourth goal early in the second half which cut Hartford's two-goal halftime lead in half, representing the 100^th goal of her 34-match career.

Senior midfielder Abby Parisi (Fairfield) had two goals and two assists and won seven draws while Vizzini added two assists. First-year attack Hannah Seltzer (Westerly, RI) scored the fifth of Eastern's six straight goals that opened the second half in a man-down situation with three minutes left in the third quarter for her first collegiate goal. Vezzini and returning All-LEC defender Grace Saldaña (Colchester) each caused two turnovers.

Eastern visits Salve Regina University Saturday at 4 p.m. in a non-conference match. The Warriors won, 8-7 in overtime a year ago over the Seahawks at Rick McCarthy Field for Doran's first home win.