PLYMOUTH, N.H. -- It was just the kind of match that Eastern Connecticut State University Women's Soccer needed on Friday afternoon at Plymouth State University, winning a wire-to-wire conference matchup against the Panthers in shutout fashion, 4-0, to move to 3-0-0 in conference play this year. The four-goal performance marks the fourth time in nine matches this season in which the Warriors have recorded four-plus goals in a match.
Junior defender
Jordan Fabry was the only player to play all 90 minutes for the Warriors, helping anchor the defense to its fourth shutout of the year, while scoring her second goal of the campaign in eight matches played. Behind her in net were both junior goalkeeper
Alex Ignatowicz and senior goalkeeper
Kaeden Dublin, who combined for the shutout as Ignatowicz stopped all three shots she faced in 79:26 of action, while Dublin closed out the final 10:34 and did not face a shot on goal.
As for the offense, it was Fabry who found the back of the net first in just the third minute against first-year goalkeeper Liv Desruisseaux, aided by senior midfielder
Emily Dunlea, who picked up her second assist of the season. That goal would be one of two out of the four total with a recorded assist for Eastern, as an own goal, an unassisted second-half goal, and an assist from junior defender
Tori Babineau helped the Warriors pull away for what would be their third consecutive win against the Panthers, while pushing their unbeaten streak to six consecutive matches in the all-time series. Since 2014, Eastern holds a 13-1-2 record against Plymouth State, with the one loss coming in 2020 on the road.
First-year forward
Emily McKelvey's stellar opening year as a Warrior continued with her eighth goal of the season in only nine matches played, which pushed her ahead of Southern Maine's Lexi Morin for the Little East Conference lead in goals scored. McKelvey had six goals through her first three collegiate matches with Eastern and has now scored in two of the last four matches, playing only 40 minutes in today's win.
Last year's LEC First Teamer, sophomore forward
Michaela Gasparri, has also started to get things going offensively over her last few matches played. After missing a couple of matches at the beginning of the season due to illness, Gasparri nearly made it points in five of her last six matches, as her shot towards the goal was tipped in by a Plymouth State defender for an own goal. Gasparri currently has five assists along with a goal during her run, giving her seven points overall. Down the stretch of the match as well, graduate midfielder
Kylie Gentile notched her first collegiate goal in 25 matches played for the Warriors, helping cap the scoring against Desruisseaux, who made seven saves.
The stat sheet showed a tale of two halves as well, with the first half resulting in an even shot dispersion of six apiece for each team, while Igantowicz stopped all three Panther chances and Desruisseaux made four of five saves in what was a 1-0 match at the break. Upping the ante in the second half, Eastern held a gaudy 17-2 edge in shots overall and outshot Plymouth State, 6-0, in shots on goal in the victory.
Now at 3-0-0 in conference play, Eastern will take on its toughest conference opponent yet in WestConn on the road this Wednesday at 6:00 PM. The Warriors will look to avenge a 2-0 loss in the Little East Conference Semifinals at home last year, after defeating the Wolves for the first time since 2015, 1-0, during the regular season. In the all-time series, Eastern currently sits at 11-26-7 overall.
