Eastern Connecticut holds off Seahawks, 19-17
MANSFIELD, Conn. - Three days after missing all nine of her shots in a two-goal loss, Eastern Connecticut State University sophomore midfielder Daniela Marchitto connected on each of her eight attempts in a two-goal, 19-17, women's lacrosse win over Salve Regina Regina University Tuesday afternoon at the Mansfield Outdoor Complex.
Eastern (1-2) scored the first four goals of the match, led 6-1 with seven minutes and trailed only once for a total of 13 seconds in downing Salve Regina (0-2) for the third time in this four-game series.
After the Warriors' early lead, the Seahawks used a 9-3 run - sophomore Kelly Burke (Georgetown, Mass.) and junior Sarah Livingston (Westford, Mass.) combining for five goals - over 16 minutes to take their only lead, 10-9, with six minutes left in the first half.
With 15 minutes left in the match, Marchitto scored a key short-handed goal on a free-position attempt that gave Eastern a three-goal lead, 18-15. With Eastern clinging to a one-goal lead and playing a man down in the final three minutes, sophomore goalie Nancy Ibrahim made a save on a shot by sophomore Megan Clancy (Chelmsford, Mass.) and Marchitto won the ensuing ground ball. On Eastern's next possession, freshman Erin Conn scored her fourth goal of the match with 1:37 left, then won the ensuing draw and Eastern ran out the clock.
One of five newcomers (four freshmen) in Eastern's starting lineup, Conn scored four goals and also won 20 of 36 faceoffs and recorded 12 draws, while freshman Christine Lillis had four goals and four assists - the first points of her career - in her first career start. Junior Ashley Prizio added a pair of goals and matched junior Megan Barrett with four ground balls.
After Clancy capped a four-goal Salve Regina run with a goal that gave the Seahawks their only lead with six minutes left in the first half, Prizio answered 13 seconds later with an unassisted goal that tied the match at 10-all. Marchitto's free position goal 2:43 later gave the Warriors the lead for good, and Conn struck for her second goal of the match on a pass from Lillis that made it 12-10 with 14 seconds left in the first half.
Burke led Salve Regina with four goals and an assists, Clancy adding two goals and two assists and Livingston three goals and senior Nicole Viola (Scarborough, Maine) chipped in three assists. Sophomore Danielle Malconian (Belmont, Mass.) picked up six of her team's 25 ground balls and Livingston four.
Marchitto's career-high goal total equals the fifth-highest one in program history and gives her 47 goals in 22 career matches in two years.
(Courtesy of Eastern Connecticut State sports information)