MANSFIELD, Conn. – It would be rare that the outcome of a match between teams residing on opposite ends of the field hockey win spectrum would be unsettled heading into the final minutes of play.
But that was the case on Tuesday afternoon, when Westfield State University was unable to shake Eastern Connecticut State University until less than two minutes remained in posting a 3-1 non-conference victory at Rick McCarthy Field.
Trailing 1-0 on sophomore Emma Sanson's (Thomaston) early goal, Westfield (9-7) eventually scored the final three goals of the match, the go-ahead goal coming with 1:44 left in regulation and a "here's salt in the wound" pad goal finding the back of the cage with 2.9 seconds remaining.
Eastern (2-11-1), looking to snap a seven-game losing streak and in search of its first home win of the year in its seventh try, rode Sanson's third goal of the year goal in the 14th minute to a 1-0 lead through the first 39 minutes before the Owls finally broke through against Eastern first-year goalie Veronica McKenna (Wethersfield) to tie the game on Sarah Richard's (Templeton, Mass./Oakmont) re-direct at the left post on Taylor Creech's (Kennebunk, Maine) blast through the circle in the 40th minute.
With the game knotted at 1-all and headed toward overtime, Creech scored the game-winner with her sixth goal of the season with a shot through a tangle of bodies -- and with time running out, Madison Ouellette (Uxbridge, Mass.) added the icing on the cake off an assist from Corryn Moroney (Granby, Mass./South Hadley) in the final seconds.
Making her first career start, Westfield first-year goalie Liv Labrie (Southampton, Mass./Hampshire) won her second game in as many decisions. Labrie made two saves -- and also benefited from a defensive save from senior defender Bre Foley which had kept the score tied at 1-1 with 5:34 left. McKenna, making her third start, stopped five shots. Sophomore Hannah Jalowiec (Cheshire) made two saves over the final 15 minutes and sustained her ninth loss in ten decisions, while junior defender Aly Kendrick (North Branford) -- making her first start in five weeks -- also recorded a defensive save.
Leading 1-0 at halftime, Eastern had several opportunities to make it a two-goal game – including a nullified goal due to a foul with 6:34 left in the quarter off a second straight penalty corner. First-year midfielder Grace Barlage (Guilford) – who combined with Sanson on all five of Eastern's shots which reached goal – lost possession in the circle midway through the third quarter on a scoring bid, then had a shot blocked seconds later.
Creech and Richard combined for nine of their team's 16 shots, putting all but one of them on net.
The victory was Westfield's third straight and seventh in the last eight meetings between the programs. The match between the two programs was the first non-conference one since Westfield opened the all-time series with a 5-0 victory at home in 1999. Thereafter until Tuesday, the teams had been rivals in the Little East Conference.
Eastern returns to Little East competition Saturday at Keene State College at 1 p.m. and closes out its home season Wednesday, Oct. 25 in a conference game against Western Connecticut State University.
Westfield will be back in action on Saturday with a MASCAC Conference game at Salem State.