Eastern Connecticut State University

BOSTON, Mass. -- On paper, Saturday's matchup between the top two teams in the Little East Conference standings, Eastern Connecticut State University Women's Soccer and UMass Boston, was a battle of the conference's best scoring offense versus the league's worst, in addition to the top two defenses in the LEC.

Entering the match, UMass Boston came in scoring 10 goals all season long, but only allowing 10 goals as well, and outscoring their conference opponents by a 6-0 margin. Enter the Warriors, who outscored opponents 38-9 overall and 15-3 in conference play; the metrics suggested a tight battle, which is exactly what transpired.

In a battle that could potentially decide the fate of the Little East Conference Regular Season Championship, as both teams entered the day tied for first at 4-0-1 with 13 points, Eastern picked up a big three points behind sophomore forward Michaela Gasparri's lone goal in the first half, riding that score to a 1-0 win over the Beacons. The win now gives the Warriors the head-to-head tiebreaker and puts them ahead of UMass Boston by three points with two conference matches remaining. 

While the Warriors locked up a spot in the LEC Tournament, seeding is still up for grabs, as beyond the Beacons with 13 points in second, sits WestConn at 12 points in third with one match remaining, and a two-way tie for fourth between the University of Southern Maine and Rhode Island College at 10 points with two matches remaining. Eastern plays both of those teams to end the regular season, meaning both teams can still reach 16 points and tie them, while WestConn cannot catch up to them as they can only max out at 15 points. 

Beyond the tournament that looms, Saturday's win was also monumental for Head Coach Sarah Tompkins, as the team's 10th win tied the most wins in a single season for the program with her at the helm, as Eastern finished last year at 10-5-3 overall. The tournament berth is also the fifth in five years for Tompkins' squads, and her back-to-back 10-win seasons mark the first time since the 2015 and 2016 seasons in which the Warriors have had 10-plus-win seasons in back-to-back years. Those two years were part of a four-year stretch for the program under now-Hall of Fame Head Coach Chris D'Ambrosio, where Eastern closed with 10 or more wins. 

On the pitch, the tight battle that was much anticipated came down to a singular defensive miscue and crafty footwork by the Eastern offense to generate the lone goal they needed to come away with the win. Pinned deep in their own territory, a turnover from the Beacon defense due to a deflection by first-year forward Emily McKelvey led to the game-winning opportunity, as McKelvey flicked the ball high in the air where a streaking Gasparri headed it in past sophomore goalkeeper Janiya Morales Matier in the 28th minute to make it a 1-0 match. 

Morales Matier would have to come up with 11 saves for UMass Boston, as the Eastern offense peppered the goal mouth with 21 shots overall, 12 of which reached net, while their defense allowed only seven shots to the Beacons, two of which reached junior goalkeeper Alex Ignatowicz in net, both in the second half, and were handled. The 1-0 shutout win for Ignatowicz was her third of the season, as she has allowed just five goals in just under 922 minutes of action. 

After a week off, the Warriors will take to Rick McCarthy Field for the final time in the regular season on Saturday at noon against the University of Southern Maine, a match that could give them a bye to the LEC Semifinals, should they come out on top. Eastern has not beaten the Huskies since 2019, a 1-0 win on the road, dropping their last five matches overall, while tying back in 2021, 1-1, on the road.