MANSFIELD, Conn. – Behind a game-high six goals from Alexa Vizzini, Eastern Connecticut State defeated UMass Dartmouth in Little East Conference Tournament First Round action on Tuesday. The third-seeded Warriors improve to 9-8 and advance to Thursday's Semifinal game at second-seeded Keene State College. The Corsairs conclude their season at 9-8.
Eastern Connecticut opened the game's scoring less than two minutes into the opening frame as Vizzini buried a feed from Abby Parisi on the man-up for the 1-0 score. The Warriors pushed it to a two-goal margin at 7:01 as Chloe Miller converted on a pass from Jessie Pyrek-Bennett.
The Corsairs fired back, pulling to within one as senior attack
Hannah Mitus found classmate and captain
Melanny Sanchez Alvarez on the run as she flicked it into the back of the net with 2:41 remaining in the first. Despite that momentum, UMass Dartmouth was unable to hold off the home team as Parisi notched her second helper of the contest, this time connecting with Jenna Mahoney at 1:48.
In the second quarter, Vizzini struck again to push the lead to three (4-1) less than a minute in, but the Corsairs answered as rookie attack
Jennifer Lins fired in a pass from Sanchez Alvarez to make it a 4-2 game. Pyrek-Bennett responded less than a minute later, giving the Warriors the three-goal lead back (5-2) at 12:52.
Pyrek-Bennett answered once again at the 9:38 mark, converting on the bullet pass from Katie Campbell for the 6-2 lead. Off the ensuing draw, the Warriors added another with Parisi scoring from Campbell just 30 seconds later for the five-goal (7-2) margin. Eastern Connecticut closed out the second quarter with two more goals, including a free position marker from Neely Hart to head into halftime with a 9-2 advantage.
Out of the intermission, the Warriors saw Vizzini drive in another tally at the 12:17 mark and Hart fired in another free position shot, but rookie midfielder
Maddy Allen drove home her 55th goal of the season at 9:21 to close the gap to 11-3. Back-to-back goals from Vizzini opened a 10-goal margin with 6:15 to play, giving the Warriors the running clock advantage.
It was Allen at the 1:00 mark, taking advantage on the man-up off a pass from Lins to close the gap to 14-4 as the teams headed into the final quarter with the 10-goal differential despite the Corsairs owning a 7-6 advantage in shots.
The fourth quarter saw Corsairs senior captain
Widline Thomas add the squad's fifth goal, but the Warriors tacked on four more scores to close out the game.
Vizzini led all players with six goals and an assist for seven points, adding five draw controls and a caused turnover. Parisi posted two goals with four assists as Pyrek-Bennett had three tallies with a helper. Hart added three goals, while goalie Mackenzie Brown earned the win with 12 saves.
For the Corsairs, Allen had three goals, chipping in a game-best seven draw controls with four ground balls and a caused turnover. Sanchez Alvarez had a goal and an assist, causing a game-high four turnovers with three ground balls and four draws, while Lins had a goal and two helpers. In goal, sophomore
Kelsie Couto shouldered the loss, recording nine saves on the afternoon.
