Timms tips Seahawks over Warriors, 5-1

MANSFIELD, Conn. – Senior Eliza Timms (Agawam, Mass.) had two goals and an assist and freshman Bryn Protheroe (Glastonbury, Conn.) recorded her first career win in her first start in Salve Regina University's 5-1 non-conference field hockey win over Eastern Connecticut State University Tuesday afternoon at Rick McCarthy Field.

Senior Grace Parker (Simsbury, Conn.) gave Salve (7-4) the lead for good with her fifth goal of the year less than two minutes after Eastern (5-3) senior Brianna Nolan (Watertown, Conn.) had tied the match with her team-leading eighth goal with just 38.6 seconds left in the first quarter.

Leading 3-1 at halftime, the Seahawks got a pair of strikes from Timms – her 12th and 13th of the season – less than three minutes apart in the third quarter to post their third straight victory over Eastern in the series.

Salve had lost its last three and four of its previous five following a 5-0 start. In their final non-conference contest of the season, the Warriors lost at home for the first time in four starts, dropping their second straight after a five-game winning streak.

Making her third career appearance, Protheroe was credited with her first win in her first decision, stopping three shots and shutting out the Warriors over the final 47 minutes.

Scoreless through the first ten minutes, the teams combined for three goals in the final five minutes of the first quarter. Sophomore Shannon Kennedy (Royersford, Pa.) had given the Seahawks the lead with her second goal of the season in the 10th minute. Following a re-start, a ball sent in by sophomore Olivia Hussey (Hanover, MA) was deflected to Timms near the top of the circle. Timms' sweep pass found Kennedy near the right post, and Kennedy one-timed it inside the far left post.

Nolan scored her 19th career goal three minutes later when she re-directed a shot by first-year player Liz LaMarco (West Hartford, Conn.) past Protheroe. The play originated on Nolan's hit-in on the left side of the cage to sophomore Leah Kowalasky (Middlebury, Conn.) at the top of the circle. Kowalasky quickly sent the ball to her left to senior Bryce Makula (Guilford, Conn.), whose shot was knocked down by Protheroe and landed at the feet of LaMarco, who turned and fired past Protheroe, with Nolan getting a stick on it at the left post and re-directing it in.

Parker's go-ahead goal and ultimate game-winner came inside the final minute of the first quarter and came off a re-start. The Warriors were unable to clear out of their own end, and Parker chopped a shot that bounced through the middle of the Eastern defense and past Eastern junior goalie Sarah Gallagher (South Windsor, Conn.).

Salve outshot Eastern, 16-7, limiting the Warriors to two second-half shots.

Eastern visits Fitchburg State University Saturday at 11 a.m. in a Little East Conference match. The Warriors had an opening three-game conference winning streak ended Friday at Plymouth State University. Eastern enters the game a half-game behind co-leaders University of Southern Maine and Keene State College, both of whom Eastern defeated in overtime earlier this year.

Since the Warriors defeated Fitchburg four straight in the series, the teams have split the last four decisions, Eastern winning, 2-0, when the teams last met in 2019, at Fitchburg.