Box Score
MANSFIELD, Conn. – The third-seeded Eastern Connecticut State University women's lacrosse team submitted one of its most dominant defensive efforts ever in Little East Conference post-season play, forcing 28 turnovers and holding sixth-seeded Keene State College to one or less goals in three of the four periods in a 14-4 first-round playoff victory Tuesday evening at Rick McCarthy Field.
 
The first-round win is Eastern's (9-7) third in as many years under third-year head coach Devyne Doran and moves the Warriors into the playoff semifinals for the third straight season. Eastern, a winner of five of its last six, will visit second-seeded University of Southern Maine Thursday at 6 p.m. at Hannaford Field. The Huskies (13-4), who downed Eastern, 14-5, in the LEC opener for both programs back on March 28, drew a first-round bye.
 
Keene (7-11) ends its season having lost six of its last nine while the Warriors  conclude their home season with a 5-3 record at McCarthy Field.
 
The Warriors had not held its LEC playoff opponent to so few goals since shutting out the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, 16-0, in a 2009 home semifinal match. Tuesday's game marked the first time in the 12-game LEC post-season history between Eastern and Keene that Eastern has won two in a row (Eastern eliminated the Owls on their home field, 15-9, last year to end a four-game LEC post-season playoff losing streak to Keene).
 
In Eastern's 13-12 regular-season home win over Keene this year, the Warriors had to rally from deficits of 4-0 and 11-5. Tuesday, Eastern bolted to a 9-0 lead over the first 23 minutes and the Owls were never able to get closer than seven goals thereafter.
 
Down 10-1, Keene scored twice in the final four minutes of the first half, but Eastern's defense dominated the second half by keeping the Owls off the board until just 2:31 remained and carried a 12-3 lead into the fourth quarter.
 
Leading 7-0 after one quarter, Eastern got back-to-back man-up goals from graduate student Emma Oliano (Wallingford) and sophomore Hannah Seltzer (Westerly, RI) that made it 9-0. Oliano's goal came on a free-position attempt while first-year sophomore Ella Huard (Southington) set up Seltzer's with her only assist of the day.
 
Eastern's tight defense throughout produced 13 caused turnovers (Oliano leading the way with three and defenders Grace Saldana (Colchester) and  Maeve Maroney (Granby) each picking up two) that played a key role in the Warriors forcing a season-high 28 turnovers. Saldana, among others, was able to neutralize Keene's Tess Brown
throughout most of the contest. Brown, the Owls' All-LEC leader in virtually every offensive and defensive category, was limited to two shots and one goal, although she won five ground balls and two draws and caused five turnovers.
 
Each team won ten draws, with Eastern's Alexa Vizzini (Vernon, NJ) and Keene's Lola Varricchione each corralling seven. Vizzini, Huard and Seltzer each had multiple goals for Eastern, with Vizzini totalling three – giving her 56 on the season – and Huard and Seltzer adding two each.  Behind Seltzer (4), Vizzini and Oliano (three each), the Warriors won the ground ball war, 25-18.
 
Making her fourth straight start, sophomore goalie Maizie Rukat (Peru, VT) won her third decision in that span to even her record at 5-5. Facing Keene for the first time this year, Rukat made six saves while sophomore starter Kately Nicotera and senior Mabelle Bessette combined to make seven saves for Keene. Nicotera was pulled with three minutes left in the first quarter and her team trailing 7-0. Bessette, last year's starting goalie, stopped six shots and allowed seven goals over the final 48 minutes.