Eastern Connecticut State University

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- For the first time since the 2017 season, Eastern Connecticut State University Women's Soccer finished the Little East Conference slate with an unbeaten record behind a second-half goal from sophomore forward Michaela Gasparri to lift the Warriors to a 1-1 tie in the regular season finale against Rhode Island College on the road.

Holding a 6-0-2 mark heading into the conference tournament, Eastern will have a bye from this Saturday's LEC Quarterfinals, instead playing in the LEC Semifinals against the winner of the four-seed versus five-seed matchup this weekend. With the Anchorwoman tying, they locked up the fifth seed, sending them to the University of Southern Maine, who took the fourth seed, this Saturday, leaving the Warriors with a rematch against one of their last two opponents to end the regular season.

In the history of the program, Eastern has finished conference play unbeaten seven times now, with only the 2015 season ending with no ties or losses, a 7-0-0 year, under Head Coach Chris D'Ambrosio. In the last two seasons under Head Coach Sarah Tompkins, the Warriors are now 11-1-4 in conference play, after going 7-8-9 in the first three seasons under Tompkins' leadership. 

Now with another home match in tow, Eastern will aim to tie its program record for most home wins in a single season with the 2001, 2010, and 2018 programs, which all garnered eight wins, while the 2018 team went a perfect 8-0-0, with all eight matches coming in the regular season.

As it stands, Tompkins' team, which heads into the tournament at 11-2-2, holds an .875 win percentage, which is the highest in program history, surpassing the 2010 mark of .841 when that squad went 16-1-5. The best regular season win percentage came in 2010, a .917 finish, with Eastern going 15-0-3. It has been 15 years since the Warriors have reached the LEC Championship Match, but last year was their first LEC Semifinals appearance since the 2019 season.

However, in order to reach these feats, Eastern had to find their way past a tough Rhode Island College team that gave them everything they could handle to end the regular season. Despite a 23-5 edge in shots, including 12-3 in shots on goal, the affair would end in a 1-1 tie, marking the third consecutive year in which the head-to-head has ended in such fashion. 

Over the last 12 matchups with the Anchorwoman, the Warriors hold an 8-1-3 record, with the one loss coming in a 2-1 affair at Rick McCarthy Field back on September 27th, 2023. Looking to pull off the upset, sophomore midfielder Bryn Williams netted her first goal of the season in the 41st minute, as a free kick from senior defender Leah Saunders caromed off sophomore midfielder Sarah Pimentel and out to Williams. 

Striking it from just outside the box, Williams beat senior goalkeeper Kaeden Dublin, who came out to contest the shot, just to her left to put Rhode Island College ahead 1-0 at the break. However, Eastern would come out in full force in the second half, racking up 14 shots overall and forcing senior goalkeeper Nicole Nunes to make seven saves. In all, Nunes finished the match having made 11 saves in the stalemate.

But Gasparri would break through in the 68th minute as her initial shot went off the crossbar and then the loose ball in front found her foot before Nunes could dive on it, tying the match at one. Gasparri now has points in her last five matches, nine overall, and goals in three consecutive matches, placing her second in the conference in assists (8) and in points (20), behind only her teammate in first-year forward Emily McKelvey. 

Nunes would go on to make two more quality saves against the Eastern offense, forcing the match to a 1-1 tie, as the Warriors closed the year unbeaten in LEC play.

Junior goalkeeper Alex Igantowicz played the second half in net for the Warriors, making one stop, after Dublin took the first 45 minutes and stopped one shot, while allowing a goal. 

Eastern will now get a week off before taking on either fourth-seeded University of Southern Maine or fifth-seeded Rhode Island College next Wednesday at 5:00 PM at Rick McCarthy Field in the LEC Semifinals.