Box Score
BOSTON, Mass. — Led by newcomer
Michaela Gasparri (Prospect) and veteran
Katelyn Herbert (Bethpage, N.Y.), the Eastern Connecticut State University women's soccer team rolled to a decisive 5-0 victory over the Simmons Sharks.
Goalkeeper
Alex Ignatowicz (Coventry) earned her second shutout of the season, anchoring Eastern's commanding performance over the Boston locals Saturday afternoon at Daly Field.
Game Information:
- Score: Eastern 5, Simmons 0
- Records: Eastern (2-0-1), Simmons (1-2-0)
- Location: Boston, Mass. (Daly Field Athletic Complex)
Key Moments:
- In the second minute of the match, Anna Loveless (Avon) positioned herself to receive a touch from the Warriors' defense, weaving down the field and tripping up the Sharks' last line before finding an open lane to connect with newcomer Michaela Gasparri, who notched her second goal of the season into the back of the net.
- Gasparri continued her hot streak just eight minutes after her first goal, rising to meet a perfectly delivered corner kick from Jordan Fabry. She headed the ball past the Sharks' keeper and into the back of the net, giving Eastern a 2-0 lead at just the 10th minute mark.
- In the 36th minute, Gisella Hayes (Farmington) extended the Warriors' lead, receiving a long pass from Elise Leccese (Amston) and firing a long strike into the left side of the net, capitalizing on the keeper's drawn-out position, putting Eastern up 3-0 at the half.
- Opening up the second half, in just the 47th minute of play, Eastern capitalized on a goal kick intended for Shark territory, forcing the turnover and slotting the ball in Katelyn Herbert's direction. Herbert then scored unassisted, racing onto a loose ball and striking it cleanly into the frame for her first goal of the game.
- In the 48th minute, Eastern battled for possession around the 40 before sending a long ball into the box from Kylie Gentile (Berlin), drawing the keeper out of position. The keeper attempted to grab the ball but misjudged the play, leaving it loose for Katelyn Herbert, who capitalized with a sure strike into the back of the net, sealing Eastern's commanding lead.
Scoring Summary:
- 2:43 – Michaela Gasparri opened the scoring for Eastern, finishing a play off a pass from Anna Loveless, before finding an open lane to connect with the back of the net.
- 10:12 – Gasparri doubled down, receiving a feed from Jordan Fabry and finding the back of the net for with a header for her second goal of the game.
- 35:59 – Gisella Hayes extended Eastern's lead, finishing a setup from Elise Leccese with a clean long ball strike past the goalkeeper.
- 47:13 – Katelyn Herbert scored unassisted off a Shark turnover, shooting the ball past the keeper to give the Warriors an even larger advantage.
- 48:05 – Herbert notched her second goal of the match, connecting with a precise pass into the box from Kylie Gentile to finish the fifth and final goal of the match.
Game Notes:
- Eastern outscored Simmons five-nil on the scoreboard for a final of 5-0.
- Eastern led the offensive push with twenty shots, twelve of which on target, to Simmons' zero.
- Michaela Gasparri and Katelyn Herbert led the scoring summary with two goals each.
- Eastern tallied four assists on the match, coming from Anna Loveless, Jordan Fabry, Elise Leccese, and Kylie Gentile.
- Corner kicks leaned in Eastern's favor, 14-0.
- Simmons recorded a total of seven saves for the match.
- Fouls leaned in Eastern's corner, the Warriors totaling thirteen to the Sharks' four.
- Simmons recorded one yellow card during the match, issued to Charlotte Sckaal.
- Eastern is now 4-1 against Simmons in the all-time series, having won all four of its match in the series by shutout. The Warriors, who have a 14-3 goal advantage in the series, came away with a 1-0 win at Simmons when the programs had met most recently in 2016.
Up Next:
Eastern Connecticut State University women's soccer will go on to face the University of Hartford, Tuesday, September 9th, at 6:00 PM EST at Al-Marzook Field, the Hawks bringing a 15-game unbeaten streak into action. The programs will be meeting for the first time. The Hawks (2-0-1 this year), who moved recently from Division I to Division III, will be playing their home-opener after tying (Clarkson University) and winning (St. Lawrence University) over the Labor Day weekend in upstate New York and winning, 4-1, at Springfield College Saturday. Hartford was 16-3-2 a year ago and won the Conference of New England playoff title and went on to repeat as ECAC champion, ending the season on a 12-game winning streak. Playing its first full Division III schedule in 2023, Hartford was 16-2-0 and won the Commonwealth Coast Conference regular season with a 9-0 record and defeated New Jersey City University (7-2) and University of Pittsburg at Greensburg (6-0) to capture its first ECAC title.
