Box Score
MANSFIELD, Conn. – What might have been billed as two evenly-matched teams with identical overall records a year ago and ranked 2-3 in the Little East Conference pre-season women's lacrosse poll turned into a runaway in the second half when the University of Southern Maine limited Eastern Connecticut State University to one goal over the final 42 minutes in a 14-5 victory Saturday at Rick McCarthy Field.
 
A winner of its first two home matches this year, Eastern (2-4, 0-1 LEC) scored the first two goals of the match in the opening three minutes, but Southern Maine (6-3, 2-0 LEC) went ahead for good midway through the second quarter and methodically pulled away, outscoring Eastern 10-2 the rest of the way to defeat the Warriors for the seventh time in the last eight meetings.
 
The keys to the victory for USM were the ability to dominate in the area of draw controls with a 14-7 advantage and the ability to shut down Eastern senior scoring leader Alexa Vizzini (Vernon, NJ), who averaged four goals and 5.2 points through the first five matches.
 
Coming off a ten-goal performance in a non-conference home win Wednesday, Vizzini was limited to four shots and one goal and one assist. Her assist on Molly Page's (Waterford) extra-man goal came three minutes in and her lone goal was also Eastern's lone goal over the final 42 minutes.
 
In addition to contributing two goals, two assists, three caused turnovers and two ground balls, graduate midfielder Katelyn D'Appolonia won eight of her team's draws – giving her 41 in nine matches this year as well as team-leading totals of 22 goals and 17 assists.
 
In the game – especially in the second half – the Warriors were unable to consistently put the ball on cage, with the USM defense holding them to one goal and seven second-half shots (20 in the game), with only five reaching net.

Senior midfielder Cierra Hill, the Huskies' second-leading assist person this year, set up three of the team's final eight goals with assists.
 
Junior Maggie Jones, who has played primarily behind starter Emma Morrison this season, stopped nine Eastern shots to record her first win in her first start and decision this year. Eastern sophomore Maizie Ruka (Peru, VT) made eight stops.
 
No Eastern player had more than one goal or one assists, with graduate midfielder Emma Oliano (Wallingford) matching Vizzini with a goal and assist. Oliano also had four ground balls and caused two turnovers while Vizzini won three draws and junior defender Neely Hart (Colchester) won three ground balls and two draws.
 
Eastern visits Westfield State University Tuesday at 7 p.m. in a non-conference match before returning to LEC action Friday at 1 p.m. at the University of Massachusetts Boston.