Eight-time champs are never threatened, snap Warriors' streak

SALISBURY, Md. - The Eastern Connecticut State University men's lacrosse team went 47 minutes with just one goal as eight-time NCAA Division III national champion Salisbury University swamped the Warriors, 20-6, Sunday afternoon at Sea Gull Stadium.

The win is the eighth this year without a loss for No. 3 nationally-ranked Salisbury, which has captured five of the last seven national crowns. Eastern (3-2) had a three-game winning streak snapped and has now been outscored 37-14 in road losses to two nationally-ranked teams this year.

Last year, with two eventual All-Americas and a four-year starting goalie, the Warriors represented themselves well in a 15-7 loss at Salisbury. With all three of those players gone this time, the Warriors trailed 10-0 26 minutes into the match and 18-1 with 12 minutes left before scoring five goals in the final 12 minutes.

Twelve different Salisbury players had either a goal or assist and all four of the team's goalies received time in the net. Attackmen Grant Albertson (New Canaan) and Matthew Janssen (Hillsborough, NJ) - both newcomers to the program - each had two goals for Eastern, with senior midfielder Maxim Fantl (West Hartford) coming up with six ground balls. Freshman goalie Donald Berube (Tewksbury, MA) stopped 14 shots over the first 44 minutes. Junior Eric Vasil (Southington) won a career-low 46.4 percent of 28 faceoff attempts. Last year's national leader in that department, Vasil brought an 81.5 winning mark into the contest.

Honorable mention All-Americas Matt Cannone and Mike Von Kamecke combined for eight goals and six assists for Salisbury, with Jake DeLillo adding two goals and three assists. Winning goalie Johnny Rodriguez turned aside seven shots, giving up only one goal.

Salisbury outshot Eastern 54-23 and capitalized on seven man-up situations by scoring six times. Eastern potted just one goal on six extra-man tries.

Eastern visits Goucher College (5-2) Tuesday at 7 p.m. The Gophers have won five straight and are unbeaten this year on their home field.

       Defense submits perfect performance, but pitching no match for JHU

CHANDLER, Ariz.  --  The Eastern Connecticut State University baseball team continues to be plagued by poor pitching as the Warriors surrendered 20 runs in just four innings in a 12-run loss to No. 25 nationally-ranked Johns Hopkins University Saturday morning at the Snedigar Complex.

At right: Melvin Castillo's 40th career home provided a bright light on a dark day.

After allowing 13 runs and making six errors in a 13-7 loss to Concordia University (WI) Friday in its Arizona opener, No.. 6 nationally-ranked Eastern (2-3) responded with perfect defense against Johns Hopkins (11-3), but the offerings of five hurlers served only as fodder for the Blue Jays' bats. Five of Johns Hopkins 13 hits went for extra bases, and JHU also capitalized on nine walks, a hit batsmen and three wild pitches All nine of the batters who walked, as well as the hit batsmen, came around to score.

By pre-arrangement, the game was stopped at 11 a.m. local time - after Eastern had completed its at-bats in the top of the fifth inning -- to accommodate Johns Hopkins travel plans as it wound up a 12-game Arizona trip with a 9-3 record. The Blue Jays won their final four games - all against Little East Conference teams. Only one of the four was closely contested. Johns Hopkins was coming off a 9-1 verdict over No. 11 University of Southern Maine Friday after sweeping Keene State College Thursday.

The early returns projected this game to be an apparent laugher - for Eastern - as the Warriors bolted to a quick 5-0 lead after their first two at-bats. However, after a 1-2-3 first inning, JHU scored four times in the bottom of the second inning on two hits, three walks and a sacrifice fly, and followed with eight more in both the third and fourth innings. The Blue Jay were 28-16 a year ago, one season after reaching the NCAA Division III national championship game and winning 42 games.

All nine Blue Jay batters drove in at least one run and scored at least one, with leadoff hitter Matthew Bernardi and No. 8 hitter Joe Borrelli each plating four. Number five hitter Dave Kahn doubled, tripled and homered and reached by walk, scored four runs and drove in three.

In Eastern's eight-hit attack, senior third baseman Melvin Castillo (Danbury) was 2-for-3 with three RBI and a run and junior first baseman Andrew Dewing (Swampscott, MA) 2-for-3 with two runs and two RBI. Castillo extended his career record with his 40th home run - a two-run blast which also sent in Dewing in the fourth. Both of Dewing's hits were RBI doubles. He scored after each of them.

Eastern looks for its first Arizona win and to snap a three-game losing streak when it faces MIT Sunday at 5:30 p.m. at Chandler.

               Defense limits Hawks to four second-half goals in  15-11 victory

MANSFIELD, Conn. --  The Eastern Connecticut State University women's lacrosse team dominated the second half to break from a halftime tie and post a 15-11 non-conference victory over Roger Williams University Saturday afternoon at the Mansfield Outdoor Complex.

At left: Taylor MacDonald establshed a program record for career draw controls Saturday.

Playing its final game before an 11-game layoff, Eastern (2-3) improved its record to 2-0 againt Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) opponents this year by defeating Roger Williams (1-1) in the first meeting between the programs. The Hawks are coming off a 15-4 season whch resulted in an ECAC tournament berth.

Eastern scored the first four goals of the second half in a stretch of four minutes, outscoring the visitors 8-4 over the final 30 minutes. In that second half, Eastern had advantages of 18-8 in shots and 18-12 in ground balls. The Warriors were successful on eight of nine clears in the second half and converted four of six free-position shots.

Freshman midfielder Daniela Marchitto (Orange) scored three of Eastern's eight second-half goals - the first two coming on free-position attempts. Marchitto led all players in the game with four goals, first-year sophomore attack Ashley Prizio (Brookfield) and senior midfielder Taylor MacDonald (Oak Bluffs, MA) adding three each. MacDonald won three draws in the game to establish a career record of 191, two more than former recordholder Mo Deegan.

In the first half, Roger Williams sandwiched three-goal runs around five in a row by Eastern for a 6-5 lead 15 minutes before the break, but the Warriors never allowed the Hawks to score more than one unanswered goal over the final 35 minutes of the game. Roger Willams was comng off a 17-2 conference road thumping of Nichols College in its 2010 opener.

MacDonald, junior defender Paige Booth (Hollis, NH) and senior midfielder Dana McLaughlin (West Hartford) combined to pick up 18 of the team's 30 ground balls, with MacDonald also caused five of the team's nine forced turnovers and capitalized on three of four free-position shots.

Freshman goalie Nancy Ibrahim (Lindenhurst, NY) made six saves to record her first career win at home.

Eastern hosts Mount Holyoke University March 31 at 4:30 p.m.

Returning All-America sets down 12 batters on strikes in 2010 opener

CLERMONT, Fla. -- Sophomore righty Molly Rathbun (Hebron) began her second softball season at Eastern Connecticut State University in the same way she opened her career -- with a complete-game victory. Saturday, the second-team Division III All-America fanned 12 batters and spaced three hits to record her eighth shutout iin 22 career starts in a 5-0 season-opening victory over Bates College at the National Training Center. Two of Bates' (1-4) hits never left the infield as Rathbun won her 17th career regular-season game in 20 decisions. She walked two in facing only five batters over the minimum. Rathbun registered at least one strikeout in all nine spots in the Bates order. Her strikeout total was just three shy of her personal record and moves her into a tie for fourth place all-time with 218 strikeouts in only 30 career appearances. Seven different batters had one hit for Eastern, which scored twice in the first and fifth and once in the sixth. Three of the Warriors' runs were unearned. Senior centerfielder Ashley Sullivan (Trumbull), first-year sophomore DP Kassondra Silva (Hamden) and freshman pinch hitter Christine Akcer (Milford) all drove in a run for the Warriiors. Akcer's  hit came in her first collegiate at-bat and drove in sophomore rightfielder Rosie Manzo (Hudson, MA) with the final run of the game. Batting leadoff, senior shortstop Kim Church (Farmington) reached safely three times, scored twice and stole a base.

Rochester 4, Eastern 2

In Saturday's second game, the University of Rochester (6-7) scored all of its runs in the first inning and UR sophomore righty Sara Hutchinson pitched a complete-game seven hitter in the Yellow Jackets' 4-2 victory.

Eastern freshman righty Christine Akcer (Milford) recovered to pitch four scoreless innings after Rochester roughed her up in the bottom of the first inning on four hits and a walk. Juliana Nicholson and M.C. Wagner had consecutive two-run hits in the inning for Rochester

The Warriors had two chances for big innings but managed only one run in each. In the bottom of the first, Rochester commited two errors but Eastern left the bases loaded after scoring one run when Church came home from third on an infield error. In the fourth, the Warriors strung together three hits but a heads-up play by Hutchinson allowed the Yellow Jackets to escape with only one run scored. With runners on first and second, junior pinch hitter Rachel Soychak (Mahopac, NY) plated freshman third baseman Arielle Cooper (Mystic) from second with a single as freshman pinch runner Courtney Weber (Groton) headed to third. The throw from the outfield sailed over the head of catcher Nicholson, but Hutchinson was backing up the play. She retrieved it and gunned down Yeomans trying to take third base to end the inning.

Making her collegiate pitching debut Acker (0-1) gave up only four hits over the final four innings of her five-inning stint. 

Cooper reached safely three times. She had two hits and reached on an infield error.

Hutchinson (5-4) fanned eight and walked only one.

On Sunday, Eastern plays UW-Whitewater at 11:30 a.m. and Allegheny College at 3:30 p.m.  

 In 2010, the Eastern Connecticut State University fastpitch softball program  is coming off consecutive NCAA tournament appearances for the first time in 14 years.

Yet, they do feel that they have not yet arrived. While the Warriors have made great strides toward re-capturing the success that made them the most successful post-season program in New England history throughout the decade of the 1980s and into the mid-90s, they feel that there is still much work to do.

"I think that we're more athletic than we've been in the past - top to bottom," says ninth-year head coach Diana Pepin.  "But what I think motivates the players is that they all want to go to the world series. So that's our goal."

Six starting position players and the No. 1 pitcher are among the ten returning letterwinners from last year's club which captured at least 20 victories (26-13) for the fourth straight season and fifth time in the last six years under Pepin, who should become the second-winningest coach in program history before the club returns from its spring trip at the National Training Center in Clermont, FL.

The Warriors made a run for the Little East Conference roses in 2009 for the third time in four years, and although they fell short, their impressive total of quality victories landed them in the NCAA tournament as an at-large qualifier for the second year in a row.

Below is a breakdown of the season ahead.

Battery

With returning second-team NFCA Division III All-America Molly Rathbun (Hebron), sophomore Rosie Manzo (Hudson, MA), first-year sophomore transfer Kassondra Silva (Hamden) and freshman Christine Akcer (Milford), the Warriors may feature their deepest pitching staff in more than 20 years.

Rathbun won 16 of 19 decisions as a freshman last year in the regular season before shin splints limited her effectiveness in conference and NCAA tournament play. Still, Rathbun became only the second Eastern pitcher ever to strike out at least 200 batters in a season, finishing 16-7 with a 0.79 ERA that placed her among the national leaders in strikeouts, wins, ERA and least hits per game.

"You can't even describe what Molly brings to the program," says Pepin. "She's just a quality kid who wants her team to be successful, and that's a tribute to her character. We knew that she was going to be good (last year), that should would push that limit, but her physical abilities are above and beyond what we expected. She's a great kid who listens and applies what is being taught. She's going to do phenomenal things for this program."

Manzo is the only other pitcher on the staff to receive experience at Eastern a year ago, when she accumulated 28 innings behind the 1-2 tandem of Rathbun and graduated Katie Pensiero. Silva, who may also serve as a reserve outfielder, played last year's at Division I Iona University. Akcer may also see time at first base.

Second-year senior transfer Nikki Mustin (Canterbury)  is back behind the plate after commiting only one error on a team-high 237 chances last season. Junior Rachel Soychak (Mahopac, NY) and senior utility player Katie O'Toole (Waterbury) will back up Mustin, as will freshman Katie Sokoloski (Eastford).

Outfield

Below: Ashley Sullivan

The outfield should prove to be a source of strength. This year's returning outfielders ranked 1-2-3 in batting: senior centerfielder Ashley Sullivan (Trumbull), junior leftfielder Katie Dinihanian (Stratford), and sophomore rightfielder Priscilla Alicea (Stratford). Alicea and Dinihanian's quickness will be enhanced because they bat from the left side of the plate. The pair will, in essence, be positioned back-to-back in the order, with Dinihanian batting ninth and Alicea returning to her leadoff position. Alicea earned a spot on the all-region team in only her first season with remarkable team-leading .448 batting and .530 on-base averages and team-leading 21 stolen bases. Dinihanian batted .320 and was never thrown out on nine stolen base tries. Sullivan will move from the No. 5 slot in the order into the No. 2 hole this year and should amass numerour RBI when hitting behind Alicea. Sullivan was an all-region selection as a sophomore when her .456 batting average fell just short of a season record, but she much of last year's pre-season with a broken hand before rallying for a final .339 mark that trailed only Alicea.

"Priscilla did exceed our expectations last year," says Pepin of Alicea, "but we have to be careful. We don't want her to think that she has to beat what she did last year. That may not be feasible. You can't expect (a .450 batting average) every year. That was special. But I do think that she'll steal more bases this year. And she can go from first to third on a bunt without a problem, and that's huge."

Outfield depth will be provided by freshmen Katie Stack (Mystic) and Courtney Weber (Groton) and sophomores Tina Brosnan (Preston) and Manzo, and freshman Amanda DiCicco (Somersworth, NH). Stack and Weber were both members of last year's Class "LL" state championship team at Fitch High School.

Infield

Talent abounds here, but it may take time to season. Fourth-year starting senior Kim Church (Farmington) is the only returnee. She will share the left side of the infield with freshman third baseman Arielle Cooper (Mystic), another player from Fitch High's state championship team. When not pitching,Rathbun will replace graduated sure-handed  Rachel Denny at first base. Freshman Kelly Paterson (Southington) will be the starting second baseman.

Paterson can also play shortstop, if needed, while sophomore Christine Yeomans (Durham) can spell Cooper at third and Paterson at second. Additional depth will be provided by freshman Jamie Vallarelli (Vernon).at third base, When Rathbun pitches, O'Toole or Akcers may be the starting first baseman. Molly Cole (Wilbraham, MA), one of the team's nine freshman, will also see action in the infield.

Designated Hitter

To utilize their hitting skills, Silva, Akcer and Rathbun may rotate at DH when not pitching or playing a field position.

Batting Order

Joining leadoff hitter Alicea and No. 2 batter Sullivan and No. 9 hitter Dinihanian in the lineup, Rathbun will replace Denny as the No. 3 hitter, with Silva sliding into the cleanup slot. Church may drop from fourth to fifth, with Cooper sixth, Paterson seventh,  and O'Toole eighth.

"In the past, our 6-7-8 hitters were kind of 'iffy'", noted Pepin. "But from top to bottom this year, we have a solid lineup.Players like Arielle Cooper and Kelly Paterson (batting in the bottom of the order) make contact and they can do multiple things. They're not those strikeout kinds of kids."

Warriors open eight-game Arizona trip with 13-7 loss to Concordia (WI)

CHANDLER, Ariz. - Playing its first games in nine days, the Eastern Connecticut State  University baseball team out-hit Concordia University (WI) but committed six errors, threw four wild pitches and hit three batters in a 13-7 loss in the opener of an eight-game, nine-day Arizona trip Friday afternoon at Snedigar Complex.

At left: Travis Bass

In the first meeting ever between the programs, Eastern (2-2) out-hit Concordia but defense and pitching betrayed the Warriors. Eastern collected 12 hits but seven pitchers surrendered 11, walked five batters, hit three and threw four wild pitches. All of the walks, hit batsmen and wild pitches came over the final three innings, when the Falcons scored 12 of their runs. The game was the final one in Arizona for Concordia, which split ten games.

Eastern trailed by only 1-0 before Concordia scored four runs in the bottom of the sixth on four hits, a sacrifice fly and a hit batsmen to take a 5-0 advantage into the late innings.Trailing 8-1 in the top of the eighth, the Warriors pushed across five runs in chasing senior righty Derrick Pankow (3-0) by collecting half of their game total of hits. Senior shortstop Travis Bass (West Hartford) and junior first baseman Andrew Dewing (Swampscott, MA) each contributed two-run doubles in the frame, and sophomore catcher Steve Cammuso (Rutland, MA) drove in another with a single.

Eastern gave the runs right back in the bottom of the inning, however, when the Falcons answered with five of their own on three hits (all coming consecutively and driving in three runs), two walks, three wild pitches and an infield error.

In the game, the bottom two hitters in the Concordia lineup - freshman shortstop Daniel Mueller and  junior centerfielder Matt Mayer -- combined to reach base seven times on four hits, a walk, hit-by-pitch, and error. They drove in four runs and scored two.

In his second start of the season, junior righty Jim Schult (Wappingers Falls, NY) surrendered only a single unearned run through five innings. However, he struggled in the sixth and was lifted after the first five batters reached safely. Schult fanned six without a walk and allowed seven hits.

The top six hitters in the Eastern order accounted for ten hits (four doubles), drove in six and scored five. Junior leftfielder Robert Perry (Manchester) had three hits, Bass, senior third baseman Melvin Castillo (Danbury) and Dewing all recording two. Dewing had two doubles, drove in two runs and scored two while Bass plated two and scored one.

Eastern faces No. 25 Johns Hopkins University - the Division III national runner-up two years ago - Saturday at 11:30 a.m. ET at Chandler. Senior righty Will Musson (Wethersfield) is expected to make his second start, looking for his second win.

Brewers score four goals in four minutes early in second half in 13-11 win

POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. - The Eastern Connecticut State University women's lacrosse team kept Vassar College off the board for the first 15 minutes of the game but the Brewers used a quick second-half start to post a 13-11 non-conference victory over the Warriors Wednesday night.

At left: Brooke Wayte

Eastern (1-3) forged the fourth and final tie of the match on senior attack Courtney Bedocs' (Hamden) second goal of the year 74 seconds into the second half, but Vassar (3-1) answered with four in a row in a span of four minutes - with junior midfielder Sarah Warner scoring twice and assisting on one - to take command of an 11-7 lead. The Warriors never go closer than two the rest of the way.

Playing its first game up north after a three-game trip to West Palm Beach, Vassar won its third in a row. Eastern was coming off its first win of the season eight days ago. Three of Vassar's matches have been decided by a total of four goals.

Eastern got out to a quick 3-0 start -- holding the hosts scoreless over the first 15 minutes -- but was never able to connect on as many as three consecutive goals the rest of the way.

Eastern senior attack Brooke Wayte (Bellport, NY) doubled her season goal total with four strikes  -- three coming on unassisted goals in the final 20 minutes of the contest.  Seven additional players had one each for the Warriors.

Senior midfielder Taylor MacDonald (Oak Bluffs,MA), last week's Little East Conference Defensive Player-of-the-Week, won half of the  team's 14 draws and had five ground balls. MacDonald pulled to within one draw control of tying the career record of 189, held by Mo Deegan (2002-05).

Senior attack Ashley Del Vecchio (Fairfield) led all Eastern players with five ground balls, helping the Warriors collected a season-high total of 38.

Warner led all players in the game with five goals to improve her team-leading total to 15.

Freshman goalie Nancy Ibrahim (Lindenhurst, NY) made seven saves for Eastern.

The match between these teams was the second close one in as many contests in this series. Last year at Mansfield, the Warriors emerged with an 11-10 victory in triple overtime - the longest game in Eastern history.

The Warriors host Roger Williams University Saturday at 1 p.m.

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Freshman Berube makes 14 saves, Warriors' man-down stymies Amherst

  MANSFIELD, Conn. - Freshman goalie Donald Berube (Tewksbury, MA) recorded double- digit saves for the first time in four collegiate appearances and the Eastern Connecticut State University man-down unit killed eight of nine opposing extra-man opportunities as the Warriors downed Amherst College, 14-12, Tuesday afternoon at the Mansfield Outdoor Complex.

At right: Salieu Bolivar

The win is the first for Eastern (3-1)  in three tries against Amherst (0-2) and gives Eastern three straight victories at home in seven days by a total of four goals.  The triumph follows one-goal wins over Babson College, 12-11, in its home-opener and an 11-10 overtime verdict over Montclair State University Friday night.

Although the final margin was only two goals, Eastern  trailed only twice by one goal each time in the first quarter and was never behind throughout the final three periods. Sophomore midfielder Salieu Bolivar (Norwalk) and senior midfielder Maxim Fantl (West Hartford) connected on the team's third and fourth shots of the game to provide the hosts with an early 2-0 lead and after senior attack Matt Kellman gave Amherst its second and final lead of the game late in the first period, Eastern took the lead for good. The Warriors tied the game with 57 seconds left in the first quarter on a goal by senior midfielder Zach Malouf (Norwich), and freshman attack Matthew Janssen (Hillsborough, NJ) and Albertson beat Amherst freshman goalie Steve Levy 13 seconds apart to make it 6-4. Janssen's goal came in a man-down situation after the Warriors were whistled for a slash with 19.8 seconds left in the first period.

The Warriors carried a three-goal lead into the fourth period and fattened that lead to five, 14-9, with nine minutes left when 6-foot-7 inch first-year junior transfer Grant Albertston (New Canaan) stuck in a man-down goal - his fifth of the game.

Eastern successfully killed the next seven minutes before Amherst (0-2) answered with three goals in 57 seconds to knock the lead down to the final two-goal margin. The Warriors turned the ball over with time running out but Berube made his 14th and final save in the final seconds to keep Amherst from making it a one-goal agme.

Bolivar followed Albertson with three goals, with six additonal players adding a goal each. Junior attack Brendan Hoppey (Shoreham, NY) handed out two assists.

Eastern's opponents had converted nine of 20 extra-man tries heading into the game but the Warriors successfully killed off eight of Amherst's nine power-play situations. Amherst was 0-for-4 in the first half and couldn't capitalize on two man-up advantages when it tried to rally in the fourth period

Amherst sophomore midfielder Alex Fox contributed to ten of Amherst's 12 goals by scoring seven and assisting on three. Fox took one third of his team's shots..

Eastern junior midfielder Eric Vasil (Southington) won 20 of 28 faceoffs and collected 15 of the team's 33 ground balls. In four games, Vasil has won 88 of 108 faceoffs (81.5) and picked up 68 ground balls. Albertson tops Eastern this year wtih 13 goals and 18 points and Janssen has scored eight goals and added five helpers. Berbue is 2-0 with a 9.87 goals-against average and .538 save percentage.

 Eastern plays the first of six consecutive road games Sunday at No. 3 nationally-ranked Salisbry University at 1 p.m.

Five players cited for their performances for the week ending March 14

NORTH DARTMOUTH, Mass. --  Five Eastern Connecticut State University lacrosse players were recognized with weekly honors by the Little East Conference in the first week of the honors program.

Eastern athletes were selected as the conference's Defensive Player-of-the-Week and as the Goalie-of-the-Week in both men's and women's lacrosse and as the men's Rookie-of-the-Week.

Senior midfielder Taylor MacDonald (Oak Bluffs, MA) and junior midfielder Eric Vasil (Southington) were named women's and men's Defensive Player-of-the-Week, respectively, while freshmen Nancy Ibrahim (Lindenhurst, NY) and Donald Berube (Tewksbury, MA) were cited with their respective Goalie-of-the-Week honors. Freshman attack Matthew Janssen (Hillsborough, NJ) was tabbed as the men's lacrosse Rookie-of-the-Week.

MacDonald, the LEC's two-time Defensive Player-of-the-Week, led Eastern to a win in its only match, a 16-11 decision at Salve Regina University. MacDonald had six ground balls, won three draws, and caused two turnovers. Ibrhim stopped 11 shots against Salve to record her first collegiate win.

On the men's side, Vasil won 88.2 percent of his faceoffs (45-for-51) and picked up 33 ground balls as Eastern won a pair of one-goal decisions at home: 12-11 over Babson College and 11-10 in overtime over Montclair State University. A pre-season All-America, Vasil led Division III last year in faceoff percentage and ground balls.

Berube registed his first career win in his second career start against Montclair, making seven saves and giving up only four goals after the intermission.

Janssen collected ten points in two matches, scoring six goals and assisting on four others. Against Babson, Janssen scored an unassisted goal to give Eastern an 11-10 lead with eight minutes left, and assisted on senior attack Vinny Tornatore's (Norwalk) game-winning goal in sudden death overtime.

MacDonald received a weekly LEC award for the seventh time in her four-year career. She was named top weekly rookie once in 2007, twice top defensive and once top offensive player as a sophomore and once top offensive and once top defensive player last season. Vasil was accorded top defensive accolades three times last year. The Rookie-of-the-Week recognition was the first by a men's lacrosse player since goalie Kyle Savage was honored in the third week of the 2006 season.

The Eastern men (2-1) host Amherst College Tuesday at 4 p.m. while the women (1-2) visit Vassar College Wednesday at 6 p.m.

Senior Tornatore strikes 2:24 into sudden-death in comeback victory

  MANSFIELD, Conn. -- In a battle of 2009 NCAA tournament teams and conference champions, the Eastern Connecticut State University men's lacrosse team snapped a three-game losing streak at the hands of Montclair State University with its second one-goal triumph in three days, 11-10 in overtime Friday night at the Mansfield Outdoor Complex

Above: Vinny Tornatore

Senior crease attackman Vinny Tornatore (Norwalk) scored his second goal of the match 2:24 into sudden-death overtime with a shot from in front of the cage on an assist from freshman attack Matthew Janssen (Hillsborough, NJ) to end the match. The lead was only Eastern's second of the match and first since the Warriors led 5-4 with 3:20 left in the first half, and the shot was the Warriors' only one in overtime.

Montclair led 4-1 late in the first quarter and 9-7 with nine minutes left in the game after  sophomore attack Tyler Meth scored his team-leading 11 goal of the season. Trailing 10-9, Eastern tied the match for the fourth time in the match when senior midfielder Zach Malouf (Norwich) scored on a pass from junior attack Grant Albertson (New Canaan) with  just 85 seconds left in regulation.

Montclair started the overtime period with possession and a man up after Eastern was whistled for a push with eight seconds left in regulation. The Red Hawks were unable to capitalize on three overtime possessions, however, with two of their shots blocked by Eastern defenders.  Eastern cleared the ball successfully, then called time out to set up the winning goal.

Making his second career start, Eastern freshman netminder Donald Berube (Tewksbury, MA) recorded  seven saves to earn his first career win in his first career decision. Eastern junior faceoff specialist Eric Vasil (Southington) won 22 of 24 faceoffs to improve his nation-leading percentage to .850 (68-for-80) and also picked up 13 ground balls. Vasil, the team-leader with 53 ground balls,  led Division III last year in faceoff percentage and ground balls.

Above: Donald Berube 

Eastern survived 31 turnovers to gain its second one-goal home win in as many home matches this year.In its home-opener Wednesday afternoon, Eastern trimmed Babson College, 12-11.

Montclair's special teams scored six goals in the match - the man-up unit striking for five goals on nine chances and the man-down unit scored once. The man-up unit scored twice in the first quarter to held the Red Hawks into a quick 3-0 lead halfway through the period and that group scored one additonal man-up goal in each of the final three quarters. With Eastern leading 5-4 late in the first half, , Montclair's man-down tied the match with 2:10 left, and the extra-man unit scored just over a minute later to give the visitors a 6-5 halftime lead.

Junior attack Mike Corsetto contributed four assists for Montclair,, setting up senior attack Patrick Nann for the team's go-ahead goal with five minutes left in regulation. Albertson, a 6-foot-7 inch first-year Division I transfer, netted six points for Eastern with four goals and two assists, while Janssen chipped in two goals and two assists and junior attack Brendan Hoppey (Shoreham, NY) registered his first two goals of the year.

In three games, first-year players Albertson and Janssen have combined for 23 of the team's 48 points, 15 of its 31 goals and eight of its 17 assists.

Eastern hosts Amherst College Tuesday at 4 p.m.

Eastern Conn. 11, Montclair State U. 10

Montclair State U. (1-3)          4    2    2    2    (0) -- 10
Eastern Conn. (2-1)                2    3    1    4    (1) -- 11

Goals: M-Matthew Prongay 2, Tyler Meth 2, Taylor Bonner 2, Robert Sinicola, Patrick Nann, Ryan Kloss, Patrick Ferry; E-Grant Albertson 4, Matthew Janssen 2, Vinny Tornatore 2, Brendan Hoppy 2, Zach Malouf.
Assists: M-Mike Corsetto 4, Meth, Nann, Prongay, Sinicola; E-Albertson 2, Janssen 2, Maxim Fantl.
Shots: M-33, E-39; Saves: M-Andrew Rosado 5, E-Donald Berube 7.