Eastern Connecticut State University

MANSFIELD, Conn. -- They say three is the magic number, and for Eastern Connecticut State University Women's Soccer, that was certainly the case at Rick McCarthy Field on Wednesday night in the top-seeded Warriors' 3-0 shutout win against fifth-seeded Rhode Island College to earn their first trip to the Little East Conference Championship Match since 2017.

Behind three-point performances from first-year forward Emily McKelvey and sophomore forward Michaela Gasparri, along with two points from first-year forward Alana Burnell, Eastern dominated offensively against the Anchorwoman en route to the team's three-goal performance. 

With the victory, Saturday's championship match will be held at Rick McCarthy Field as the Warriors will face second-seeded UMass Boston at noon, after defeating them in the regular season on the road, 1-0. Later this evening, the Beacons took down sixth-seeded Keene State College, 1-0, ending their bid back to the championship match for the first time since 2015. As for UMass Boston, they made their first return to the conference finals since 2018 when they fell to WestConn, 2-0. 

But this Saturday will mark a first between the two programs, as they have never met in the Little East Conference Championship Match since the conference tournament first started back in 1999. In the LEC Tournament all-time, the Beacons have come out on top four times, with the Warriors last winning a 2013 decision, 1-0, at home, before falling to the Owls in the Championship Match.

As for Wednesday against Rhode Island College, it was Eastern's first win against the Anchorwomen since a road victory in 2022, 2-0, while being the first home win since the 2021 season in a 3-1 decision. 2003 marked the only other time in which the two teams faced each other in the postseason, also an LEC Semifinals matchup, where the Warriors downed Rhode Island College at home, 1-0, en route to their second LEC title with a 5-3 win in penalty kicks against Keene State.

A slower-than-usual start out of the gate for the Warriors saw a 50-50 battle for possession in the opening few minutes before the Eastern offense began to dictate the pace and tempo of play. First-year midfielder Janessa McKay ended up having the only shot on goal for the Anchorwomen in the entire match, coming in the 37th minute, which junior goalkeeper Alex Ignatowicz corralled to keep the match scoreless at the time.

However, right before halftime, striking for her 14th goal of the season, placing her tied for ninth all-time in single-season goals, McKelvey got Eastern on the board with 38 seconds remaining. Using the aid of junior midfielder Faith Corona and Gasparri, McKelvey's strike from way outside the box got over the outstretched arm of senior goalkeeper Nicole Nunes, making it a 1-0 match.

While Nunes came up with five saves for Rhode Island College in the defeat, the Warriors dominated offensively with a 16-4 shot margin, including 8-1 on goal, while not allowing a single corner to the Anchorwomen and taking nine of their own. Continuing to dictate the match into the second half, insurance goals would come in the final 10 minutes of action, first from Gasparri.

The sophomore, who had three points in the match, is now second only to McKelvey with 31 points, for the highest total points for the conference this year. Gasparri's goal would come from graduate midfielder Kylie Gentile and Burnell, as she used her space on the right side of the net to flip the ball up and over Nunes to pad the Eastern lead to two. 

Not long after, it was junior midfielder Glenda Zhiminaicela scoring her first goal of the season with the help of both Burnell and McKelvey, as a quick pass from McKelvey to a falling Burnell found Zhiminaicela for the chip shot just outside the box and into the left corner for the third and final goal of the match for the Warriors.

With the 3-0 win under their belt and a trip to the championship match in tow against the Beacons, Eastern will look to lock up its first LEC Championship since the 2011 season at Rick McCarthy Field on Saturday at noon in the first-ever meeting between the two squads in the title match.