Box Score
UNION, N.J. – The Kean University field hockey team had the better of play throughout, but needed a tie-breaking penalty stroke goal in the third quarter to subdue Eastern Connecticut State University, 2-1, Saturday evening at Alumni Stadium.
In a match which had its start delayed due to lightning and was finally halted as an official match after three quarters (45 minutes), Eastern (1-2) and Kean (1-1) traded goals two minutes apart in the second quarter before junior Madison Brege converted a penalty stroke in the 38th minute to deliver the win for the hosts. The stroke was awarded when a Kean shot struck the foot of an Eastern defender playing behind Eastern junior goalie
Veronica McKenna (Wethersfield) on the goal line.
Eastern was coming off a 6-2 dismantling of Regis College two days ago while Kean had absorbed a 3-0 road loss to nationally-ranked Ithaca College.
Junior
Grace Barlage's (Guilford) second goal of the season – 13
th of her career – midway through the second quarter had lifted the Warriors to a 1-0 lead before Kean answered quickly with a tying goal from sophomore Adrianna Duda on a rebound off of one of McKenna's
ten saves. McKenna kept the Warriors in the game in the final minutes of the third quarter, stopping four consecutive shots before the Cougars were awarded the game-winning penalty stroke
With Eastern trailing 2-1, Barlage shot wide off first-year sophomore transfer
Jenna Boardman's (Columbia) penalty corner – one of only two in the game for Eastern -- and moments later senior
Emma Sanson (Thomaston) unloaded another shot which also carried wide of the cage.
Eastern was outshot, 19-5, with its only shot on cage eluding Kean sophomore goalie Daniella Maresca for Barlage's go-ahead goal.
Eastern hosts Springfield College (1-1) Tuesday at 4 p.m. The Pride, 8-11 a year ago, opened a week ago with a 5-0 home win over Simmons College before losing at home, 2-0, to nationally-ranked Amherst College this past Wednesday at Stagg Field.
Springfield leads the all-time series, 8-2 posting 5-0 wins over Eastern each of the last two years after the Warriors' 5-0 win over the Pride in 2022.
