DANBURY, Conn. -- Nine years to the exact day, Eastern Connecticut State University Women's Soccer worked to a 1-1 tie against WestConn on the road, as Wednesday night's 45th all-time matchup ended in a stalemate after a first-half goal from first-year forward
Emily McKelvey was answered with a goal from junior forward Shannon Anderson in the second half, leading to the first tie of the season for the Warriors. The last time Eastern came away with a win on the road at WestConn was in 2015, a 1-0 affair, which was just the fourth victory on the road in now 20 total matches.
As has been the case for the entire year, the Warrior defense continues to stand tall against its foes, allowing fewer than two goals in all but one match, which was a 2-1 loss to Westfield State University last month. Otherwise, junior goalkeeper
Alex Ignatowicz and senior goalkeeper
Kaeden Dublin have manned the goal to nine matches, allowing one goal or less, including four total shutouts as a team. It was Ignatowicz between the pipes for Eastern on Wednesday, making eight saves on nine attempts from the Wolves, the second-most saves in a match this season for her behind only a nine-save effort against Union College at home.
On the Wolves side, the tie was their sixth of the season as they are now 4-2-6 overall and 2-1-2 in conference play, suffering a loss to UMass Boston, 1-0, over the weekend. Atop the Little East Conference standings still sit the Warriors at 3-0-1 with four conference matches left, tied with UMass Boston, who came away with a 2-0 victory over the University of Southern Maine earlier in the evening and are now 3-0-1 as well. Just behind them sit Rhode Island College, who were 4-3 victors over UMass Dartmouth this evening, with nine points, and WestConn, who now has eight points following the 1-1 result. The Warriors are yet to face the Anchorwomen and will face the Beacons next Saturday on the road.
As for Wednesday night, it was WestConn holding a narrow 14-10 edge in shots overall, as well as a 9-6 lead in shots on goal, forcing six first-half saves by Ignatowicz compared to just three for senior goalkeeper Gracen Regan. But it was first-year forward
Alana Burnell's set up in the 18th minute that led to McKelvey's on-the-fly shot getting over the outstretched hand of Regan for the lone goal of the affair for the Warriors, who took that 1-0 advantage into the break. That goal for the first-year brought her up to nine on the season, tying her once more with Southern Maine's Lexi Morin for the conference lead with McKelvey having played two less matches than Morin.
While Ignatowicz was stellar all night long, WestConn's goal would come on a long run down the right side of the pitch as sophomore forward Madelyn Dwyer relayed a pass up to Anderson with one Eastern defender to beat. Making a move around them, Anderson would traverse towards the net, drawing Ignatowicz out of the goal and firing it just out of her reach for the game-tying goal in the 59th minute. Anderson would nearly give the Wolves the lead in the 88th minute, firing just off the goal frame, which came about 20 minutes after junior midfielder Glenza Zhiminaicela did the same, while Burnell also had a shot attempt go just wide of Regan and the goal mouth.
With five matches remaining in the regular season, including four LEC matchups, Eastern prepares for Senior Day Saturday against UMass Dartmouth at Rick McCarthy Field for a 12:00 PM kickoff. The Warriors have not lost to the Corsairs since 1995, going unbeaten in the last 29 matchups, which have included three ties in that span, while last year's result went Eastern's way, 4-1, on the road. The graduating seniors will be honored after the match on the field.
