Athletics

IN LEC PRE-SEASON BASKETBALL POLLS, WOMEN ARE 3rd, MEN 5th

2009-11-17T02:00:25Z

Last year's Little East Conference regular-season champion, the Eastern women's basketball team has been picked to finish third in the 2009/10 LEC Pre-Season Coaches' Poll, while the men's team was tabbed for fifth.

The women lost four starters from last year's team which was 13-1 in the conference and 25-4 overall and earned an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament after losing by five points in the conference tournament final. The women graduated two-time LEC Player-of-the-Year Ashley McFetridge and two-time first-team all-conference guard Nicky Morey but return Defensive Player-of-the-Year Jessica Moriarty (at left), a guard. Also back is junior forward Amanda Pierlioni.

The men return their top seven players from last year's 12-14 team which was 6-8 in the conference and lost a first-round conference tournament decision to Keene State. Returning senior guard Edwin Ortiz (at right) and junior guard Courtney Simmons both averaged double figures last year, while sophomore guard Jamie Kohn was the top rebounder. Ortiz scored his 1,000th point last year as was a second-team all-conference selection. Returning sophomore guard Nick Nedwick was named to the conference All-Defensive Team.

Both Eastern teams open the season this weekend at home in the Eastern Tip-Off Tournament. The men face Purchase College Friday at 5:30 p.m. and the women meet Manhattanville College Saturday at 5:30 p.m.

QUINONES LEADS W-CROSS COUNTRY

2009-11-15T04:10:02Z

At right: Amanda Quinones

CUMBERLAND, Maine -- First-year sophomore Amanda Quinones (Trumbull) paced seven Warriors at the finish line at the 2009 NCAA Division III New England Regional qualifer over 6,000 meters at the Twin Brook Recreation Center.

A Division I transfer, Quinones led all Eastern runners for the fifth straight race in which she has competed, finishing 139th overall in a field of 315 of the most accomplished New England Division III runners. She was timed in 25:11 in a race won by Jacqui Wentz (21:35) of MIT, who helped the Engineers share first place with Middlebury College.

Behind Quinones for Eastern was senior Alexis Cavanaugh (Cheshire), freshman Cora Gingras (East Hampton), juniors Becky Knapp (Naugatuck) and Melissa Healy (Naugatuck), freshman Denica Gagnon (Colchester), and juior Amanda Ericson (Bolton). Cavanaugh was 100th, Gingas 211th, Knapp 252nd, Healy 264th, Gagnon 275th and Ericson 279th.

HUNT'S BID FOR NATIONAL XC BERTH DISSOLVES IN NEW ENGLAND MEET

2009-11-15T03:46:30Z

At right: Dave Hunt

CUMBERLAND, Maine -- Competing against the top Division III cross country runners in New England, senior Dave Hunt (New Milford) finished among the top 17 percent in a field of 323, but fell short in his bid to qualify for the national championship Saturday at the 2009 NCAA Division III New England Regional qualifier at the Twin Brook Recreation Center.

Attempting to become the first Eastern male to qualify for the national meet since 1976, Hunt was among the leading pack of 30 after one mile, but eventually placed 54th over the 8,000 meter layout. He led a group of six runners for Eastern, which checked in with an impressive 26th-place finish in a field of 48.

Hunt, a first-year transfer from Central Connecticut, was timed in 26:39 in a race won by Williams College's Edgar Kosgey (25:16) of Keyna. All five of Williams' scoring runners finished among the top 15 as they eased to a first-place win over runner-up Amherst College.

The top seven finishers in the race from teams that do not qualify on a team basis gain a spot in the national championship field.

Four of Eastern's six runners are in their first year. Freshman Nick Miller (Norwich) was 130th overall, senior Sam Buczek (Milford) 170th, freshman Tim Callahan (Portland) 195th, senior David Tignonsini (Vernon) 221st and freshman Brad Beausoleil (Plainfield) 245th.

DEPTH BOOSTS W-SWIMMING, 136-126

2009-11-15T00:03:55Z

Fourteen swimmers contribute points in home-opening win over Smith

Below: Stephanie O'Kelly

WILLIMANTIC, Conn. - Sparked by freshman Stephanie O'Kelly's (Westport) two first- place finishes, a balanced women's swim team captured its home-opener with a 136-126 victory over Smith College Saturday at the Sports Center pool.

Smith (0-2) swimmers won seven individual events and the Pioneers captured one relay, but Eastern (1-1) received points from 14 different individuals in downing Smith for the second consecutive season.

Led by O'Kelly, who won her first two collegiate races in the 100 and 200 yard breaststroke, the Warriors claimed 21 Top Three finishes. Holding a slim lead after 12 events, Eastern totaled 12 points in the 200 yard individual medley to cement the victory. Senior Jessica Wilson (Torrington) won the race after placing second to O'Kelly in the 100 and 200 breast, and O'Kelly added a third-place finish after her two breaststroke wins.O'Kelly was .34 seconds off the program record in the 200 break and less than a second record in the 100.

Four swimmers collected double-digit point totals. Behind O'Kelly's 21 points, Wilson added 17, junior Amy Arisco (Wallingford) 16 and senior Kelsy Doheny (West Haven) 15. O'Kelly and Doheny also contributed to the winning 200 yard medley relay and Arisco and Willson swam the first and final legs of the 400 yard freestyle relay which was second.

In addition to O'Kelly and Wilson, other Eastern swimmers capturing individual titles were Arisco in the 200 yard butterfly and Doheny in the 50 yard freestyle.

Three Smith swimmers - two of them freshmen - combined for the team's seven individual titles. Junior Lily Seidman won the 100 and 200 yard freestyle and 100 yard butterfly, freshman Emma Reim the 500 and 1,000 yard freestyle and freshman Michelle Mai the 100 and 200 yard backstroke. Reim also swam the opening leg of the winning 400 yard freestyle relay.

Eastern visits Saint Joseph College (CT) Saturday at 1 p.m.

M-SOCCER SEASON ENDS IN 1-0 LOSS TO RENSSELAER IN NCAA OPENER

2009-11-14T23:05:40Z

Host Engineers score early second-half goal to eliminate No. 20 Warriors

Below: Greg DeVito has led Eastern to three post-season tournaments in as many years

TROY, N.Y. - Senior Jabel Prom netted the game's lone goal early in the second half as as the 13th-ranked Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) men's soccer team topped 20th-ranked men's soccer, 1-0, Saturday afternoon in an opening game of the NCAA Division III tournament at Renwyck Field.

Ranked third in the NCAA East Region, RPI (14-2-2) advances to the regional final Sunday at 1 p.m. against No. 6 nationally-ranked Williams College, which scored all three of its goals in the second half to shut out Husson University. RPI is advancing to the second round for the first time in 12 years.

Shut out for the first time in over a month, Eastern (16-5-1) had an eight-game winning streak halted and concludes its third season under head coach Greg DeVito having tied the program record for victories in a season. It was the third post-season appearance in as many years for Eastern under DeVito, who led the Warriors to their first NCAA appearance ever in 2007 and to the finals of last year's ECAC New England Division III tournament as the No. 1 seed.

Eastern was ranked ninth in the NCAA New England Region.

Prom redirected a pass from classmate Lincoln Field into the right side-netting in the 49th minute, to give the host Engineers all the offense they needed. Fellow senior Sean Fleury sent in the initial ball from the left flank to Field who fed Prom right in front of the net.

Rensselaer junior goaltender Alex Penny made a number of key saves to preserve the win, including a point-blank shot attempt by Eastern freshman Jon DeCasanova (Glastonbury), in the 63rd minute and a header by freshman reserve keeper Tyler Edwardsen (Ledyard) off a free kick from sophomore Aaron Smiles (Bedford, MA) in the 86th minute.

Field nearly made it a 2-0 game in the 79th minute, but his header off a Tom Kelly corner-kick was knocked down by Eastern sophomore goalie Carl Appel (West Windsor, NJ) and cleared. Minutes later, Engineers' junior midfielder Blake Adams got in behind Appel and the Warriors defense, before the ball was tackled off his foot at the last moment.

Eastern senior forward and top scorer Maxim Fantl (West Hartford) was limited to only one shot and was held without a shot on goal for the first time this year. Senior forward Nicholas Boretti (Marshfield, MA) was unable to get off a shot for Eastern, which actually put more shots on net (5-to-4) than the hosts.

Nine Eastern players played all 90 minutes, with only Edwardsen and classmate Nick Miller Northborough, MA) spelling the starters as they combined for 45 minutes of action. Freshman Dan Fish (Marlborough), a starting back all season long, missed the contest due to sickness.

Penny, who has allowed only nine goals this season, finished with five saves to earn his tenth shutout of the season. Appel finished with three in having his personal eight-game winning streak snapped.

Rensselaer Sports Information contributed to this report.

Rensselaer 1, Eastern Conn. 0

Eastern Conn. (16-5-1) 0 0 -- 0
Rensselaer (14-2-2) 0 1 -- 1

Scoring: Jabel Prom (Lincoln Field) 48:39.
Shots: E-9, R-11; Saves: E-Carl Appel 3, R-Alex Penny 5.
Corner kicks: E-5, R-8

W-SOCCER ELIMINATED IN NCAAs, 3-0

2009-11-14T20:46:19Z

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(Coach Chris D'Ambrosio)

AMHERST, Mass. - Amherst College scored twice in 59 seconds in the opening minutes of the second half to take command of a scoreless game and went on to a 3-0 victory over women's soccer in an opening game of the NCAA Division III tournament at Hitchcock Field on the Amherst campus Saturday afternoon.

At left: Rachel Cutler battles Amherst's Kathryn Nathan.

Despite being hindered by injuries to key players entering the tournament, Eastern (12-6-3) played Amherst (13-3-1) to a scoreless opening 45 minutes. Amherst came out sharp in the second half, however, getting goals from freshmen Hannah Cooper and Kathryn Nathan less than a minute apart to take control. The Lord Jeffs added an insurance marker midway through the half and went on to its second shutout of Eastern this season in a match played in mild but rainy conditions.

With the win, Amherst advances to Sunday's 1 p.m. regional championship game against The College of New Jersey, which blanked Plattsburgh State, 2-0, in Saturday's second semfinal. The Lions are rated third in the South Atlantic Region.

The Warriors were coming off consecutive Little East Conference shutout wins to qualify for NCAA tournament play for the fourth time in program history. Amherst, which has advanced to the national quarterfinals or farther six times, had a seven-game unbeaten streak snapped in a 1-0 loss to Middlebury in the semifinals of last Saturday's New England Small College Athletic Conference tournament, but was awarded an at-large bid to its tenth NCAA tournament.

Below: Senior Taylor MacDonald outmuscles Meg Murphy of Amherst to win the ball.

The Warriors were outshot 11-3 by Amherst in the first half Saturday, but Eastern's defense had allowed the Lord Jeffs to penetrate inside the box on only a few occasions over the first 45 minutes. The Warriors did not allow an Amherst corner kick until 20 minutes remained in the first half and the first difficult save by senior keeper Kim Church (Farmington) did not occur until 18 minutes remained in the first half when she dove to the right post to haul in an Amherst bid.

Both teams had their best chances to score in the final minute of the first half. The Warriors nearly broke the scoreless tie when a shot was redirected by an Amherst defender and missed just wide right with one minute to play. The Jeffs responded with a late corner kick and got a nice shot from freshman Bridget Keller, but Church was there to make the save with seven seconds left.

Amherst snapped the tie less than three minutes into the second half came just 2:57 into when Keller played a nice cross from the right side to the head of Cooper, who sent the ball into the side netting for her sixth score of the season.

Less than a minute later, Amherst's had a shot blocked by the Eastern defense, but Nathan was there to clean up the rebound and hammer it past Church from the middle of the box.

Trailing 3-0, Eastern broke through with 17 minutes to play, but Amherst sophomore keeper Allie Horwitz came up with her best save of the afternoon. Sophomore midfielder Sam Konopka (Hebron) lined up for a free kick from 20 yards out and sent a beautiful ball over a wall of Lord Jeff defenders. Her shot was headed straight for the back of the net, but Horwitz leaped up and punched the ball over the goal with her right hand for one of her nicest saves of the season.

At right: Lauren Hickey (at right) and Sarah Swann embrace following Saturday's loss.

Due to injuries, five key Eastern players saw limited or no time. Senior midfielder Sarah Swann (Oxford) and sophomore forward Lauren Greeney (Bethel) missed the match, while sophomore defender Laura Violette (Wallingford) and top freshmen playmakers Kelly Wallace (South Windsor) and Taylor Buchanan (Enfield) had their play limited. Swann, the 2009 Little East Conference Offensive Player-of-the-Year, sustained a concussion in Saturday's conference championship win over Keene State. Greeney had returned to action to see limited minutes in each of the last three games, but was unable to play against Amherst. Violette, Wallace and Buchanan all saw minutes against Amherst, but were limited by various injuries.

Freshman forward Daniela Marchitto (Orange), the LEC Rookie-of-the-Year and the team's third-leading scorer, spent most of the afternoon dueling with Amherst sophomore back Jill Kochanek as the Warriors' principle offensive target. Without her usual supporting cast, however, Marchitto had few options and was limited to one shot by Kochanek, who had had significant height and weight advantages.

Amherst College 3, Eastern Conn. 0

Eastern Conn. (12-6-3) 0 0 -- 0
Amherst (13-3-1) 0 3 -- 3

Scoring: Hannah Cooper (Bridget Keller) 47:57; Kathryn Nathan 48:55; Maureen Griffin (Kyla Woodhouse) 66:43.
Shots: E-9, A-22; Saves: E-Kim Church 7, A-Allie Horwitz 5.
Corner kicks: E-2, A-6.

HUNT IS HOPING TO BE IN IT

2009-11-12T20:09:52Z

Senior cross country runner looks to challenge at national qualifying meet

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When senior cross country runner Dave Hunt wakes up on Sunday morning, one of two thoughts will immediately flash across his mind. He will either be planning the coming week's training schedule in anticipation of the NCAA Division III national cross country championship in Cleveland, or he will be setting his sights upon the start of the indoor track and field season three weeks away.

Obviously, he would prefer the first scenario.

By all accounts, the New Milford native may need to run a near-perfect race at Saturday's NCAA Division III New England Regional Championship to become the first Eastern male runner to advance to national competition since Eastern Hall of Famer Tim Quinn 33 years ago. While the odds of qualifying do not quite rival the chances of, say, winning the lottery, there are many variables weighing against any runner in his quest to reach the national championship meet.

For Hunt, however, all of the ingredients for a high-level performance may be present when he toes the starting line at the Twin Brook Recreation Center in Cumberland, Maine Saturday morning.

For starters, money races involving hundreds of competitors are not new to Hunt, who competed in the New England Open and Northeast Conference championships for three seasons as one of the team's top runners at Division I Central Connecticut State University (in the third of his three cross country seasons with the Blue Devils in 2007, he ran to all-conference honors). Hunt's health and fitness level will also provide a boost. He has run virtually injury-free throughout this season and is peaking at just the right time. After finishing ninth overall and earning All-New England Alliance honors in a field of 155 runners two weeks ago, Hunt skipped last Saturday's ECAC Championship at Williamstown, MA as he continues to "taper" for Saturday's showdown.

The considerable hilly terrain of the Twin Brook Recreation Center also weighs in the favor of Hunt, who relishes the challenge of a difficult 8,000 meter layout that may help provide separation between him and his competitors..

Not to be overlooked is Hunt's positive mindset. After spending three years in a sometimes uncomfortable scholarship setting at Division I Central Connecticut, Hunt has enjoyed the non-scholarship atmosphere at the Division III level since enrolling at Eastern last winter. "I was looking for a fresh start (after Central)," noted Hunt, who had received a partial scholarship at Central after contributing to back-to-back New England championship teams in his final two seasons at New Milford High School. "I didn't want to transfer to a program where (scholarship) money was involved. I just wanted to do my best without any outside influences. I'm much happier here."

This past summer he worked hard in preparation for the upcoming season, logging between 60 and 70 miles per week and running upwards of seven days a week.

Last year, Hunt ran indoor and outdoor track at Eastern. In his first cross country race here Sept..11 after a year away from the sport, he won the Fitchburg State College Invitational, easing to a decisive 18 seconds victory in a field of 35. Encouraging finishes followed in large invitationals at Massachusetts Dartmouth, Connecticut College and Westfield State before he ran virtually unchallenged in a dual meet victory against Rhode Island College in the team's only home appearance Oct. 17 at Mansfield Hollow State Park.

In his final tuneup for Saturday's regional meet, he posted the highest finish ever by an Eastern male when he took ninth place at the alliance meet two weeks ago.

Even in light of all of these plusses, it will nonetheless remain an uphill climb for Hunt Saturday in a field of over 300 runners which includes most all of the accomplished Division III runners in New England. Much of the uncertainty stems from the countless variables involved in the preparation and the actual running of the race - including the all-important weather and course conditions.

Runners can qualify for the national meet at Saturday's regional on either their own individual merits, or on the performance of their team. The top two scoring teams at each of eight regional qualifiers are guaranteed plane reservations to Cleveland for the national meet. In addition to those two top team finishers, 16 more teams will be chosen from throughout the country on an "at-large" basis. Individually, the top seven finishers not associated with a team qualifier in each regional competition will qualify for the nationals. Thus, the more teams which qualify from New England on an "at-large" basis -- the better chance for Hunt to advance.

It has been 22 years since an Eastern athlete qualified for the national cross country meet and 33 years since an Eastern male was able to earn a spot in the championships. In 1987, Carla Brown placed 23rd in the women's finals at Holland, MI. In 1976, Quinn qualified for the men's national championship at Highland Park Golf Course in Cleveland - coincidentally, the site of the 2009 championship

SOCCER DOMINATES LITTLE EAST CONFERENCE ALL-STAR BALLOTING

2009-11-12T02:18:43Z

Each program features three major award-winners and six all-LEC picks

Below: Maxim Fantl, repeats as top offensive player

NORTH DARTMOUTH, Mass. - The Little East Conference playoff champion men's and women's soccer teams have dominated the balloting for major award-winners and all-conference selections.

Each Eastern soccer team featured three major awards and six all-conference selections. The women's team, which captured its third playoff title last weekend as the No. 2 seed, had the Offensive, Defensive and Rookie-of-the-Year while the men's squad claimed the Offensive and Rookie-of-the-Year and was also named recipient of the inaugural Team Sportsmanship Award

The Eastern women's volleyball team was also represented with a first-team all-conference selection in sophomore middle hitter Kristianna Ibsen (Shelton), while the field hockey team matched the men's soccer team by earning the Team Sportsmanship Award.

Each conference coach voted in the selection for the all-conference teams and major award. Balloting is completed prior to the start of the conference tournaments.

Swann, Hickey and Marchitto major awardees for w-soccer

Below: Sarah Swann

Senior midfielder Sarah Swann (Oxford), junior back Lauren Hickey (Southwick, MA) and freshman forward Daniela Marchitto (Orange) were recipients of major awards. The trio was joined on the all-conference first team by senior back Christine Lemieux (South Windsor). Senior goalkeeper Kim Church (Farmington) and senior forward Taylor MacDonald (Oak Bluffs, MA) were second-team selections.

Swann becomes the program's second Offensive Player-of-the-Year, while Hickey becomes the program's third Defensive Player-of-the-Year (in four years). Marchitto is the program's third Rookie-of-the-Year. All-conference balloting began with the 1990 season.

A total of 12 players were named to the all-conference first team and 12 to the second team. Prior to the 2002 season, only one player-of-the-year was selected.

Swann and Lemieux repeated first-team all-conference honors while MacDonald was a second-team selection for the third time in four years and Church a second team pick for the second straight season Hickey was a second-team selection last year.

Through the conference tournament, Swann was leading the conference in game-winning goals (6) and was second in points (33). More importantly, Swann scored nine goals and added three assists in seven conference matches (5-1-1 record). She scored both goals in a 2-1 road win over three-time defending conference champion Western Connecticut.and recorded her first career hat trick Oct. 10 in a 6-1 home win over the University of Southern Maine. Last Saturday, she scored the only goal of the match in a win at top-seeded Keene State College that gave the Warriors the conference championship and bid to the NCAA Division III tournament Swann's goal total this year is the sixth-highest in a season in program history and her point total equals the sixth-highest mark.

A three-year starter, Hickey started 19 of the team's 20 matches this year and is the team-leader in minutes (1,841) and minutes per game (92.1). She also contributed seven points. Behind Hickey, Lemieux, Church, and junior defender Stephanie Norell (Stratford), the Warriors surrendered a conference-low 17 goals in 20 matches (0.85 per game), giving up less than two goals 16 times.

Marchitto, one of only two freshmen among the 24 all-conference and the only first-team first-year player. Marchitto is second on the team in goals (8) game-winning goals (3) and third in points (17). Only seven players in the conference managed more than Marchitto's goal total.

Lemieux was named LEC Defensive Player-of-the-Year last year, becoming the first player in program history to win that award outright. This year, she started all 19 matches in which she appeared and added four assists.

A two-year starter in goal, Church started all 20 matches this season. Nine of her starts resulted in shutouts, posting four full-match shutouts in all. In the LEC title game she stopped six shots to preserve the shutout win. Church cuttently leads the conference in goals-against averaged (0.86) and is second in shutouts and among starting keepers, is second with a .789 save percentage.

Along with Swann, and Norell, MacDonald started all 20 matches, averaging over 70 minutes per match and contributing a goal and five assists. She is also a three-time all-conference pick and two-time conference Defensive Player-of-the-Year in lacrosse.

Both Eastern and regular-season conference champion Keene State had six all-conference selections (four first-teamers each).

Ranked in a tie for tenth in New England, Eastern (12-5-3) visits Amherst College
Saturday at 11 a.m. in its NCAA tournament opener.

Fantl program's first four-time all-conference selection

Senior forward Maxim Fantl (West Hartford) repeated as the conference's Offensive Player-of-the-Year and his selection to the first team made him the program's first four-time all-conference pick in the 21-year history of all-conference balloting.

The major award was the first of three for Eastern. Freshman back Bradley Fletcher (Middletown) became the program's fourth Rookie-of-the-Year - first since Fantl in 2006. As a team, the Warriors were selected as recipients of the inaugural Team Sportsmanship Award.

Joining Fantl on the all-conference first team was fellow senior co-captain Nicholas Boretti (Marshfield, MA) and sophomores Aaron Smiles (Bedford, MA), a back, and goalkeeper Carl Appel (West Windsor, NJ).

Second-team selections from Eastern included Fletcher and senior midfielder Chris Bourdeau (Thompson).

The all-conference selection was the third in the career of Boretti, who re-gained the first-time recognition that he was awarded as a sophomore. Smiles and Bourdeau moved up from the second-team laurels each received a year ago. Appel was named to the all-conference team for the first time.

Fantl and Boretti are the top scorers this season for Eastern, ranked third in New England and No. 20 nationally. After leading the conference in scoring as a junior, Fantl brings a conference-leading total of 40 points into post-season play, with his 17 goals one behind Plymouth State senior Semir Mehmedovic, who took over the conference lead in an ECAC tournament season-ending loss to Daniel Webster College Wednesday. In seven regular-season conference matches, Fantl collected six goals (two of them game-winners) and 15 points and added one goal in a 2-0 LEC tournament semifinal-round victory over Rhode Island College.

Fletcher was one of three freshman starting defenders this year, joining classmates Dan Fish (Marlborough) and Jon DeCasanova (Glastonbury) and Smiles in front of Appel. The Warriors lead the conference in goals-against average (0.92) and share the conference lead with nine shutouts and in least average goals allowed (0.95).

Fletcher has started all 21 matches to date and leads all players in total minutes (1,769) and minutes per game (104.1). Smiles has started all 20 matches in which he has appeared and leads the conference in assists, with 10. He assist total is the highest at Eastern since Alex Patino recorded 12 in 1992. Appel is the LEC leader in goals-against average (0.94), the co-leader in complete-match shutouts (5) and is second in save percentage (.814). All of Appel's shutouts came in conference competition, the final two coming in the conference tournament, when he made five saves in each.

Boretti has scored all eight of his goals and registered 18 of his 20 points in the team's last 13 matches. In seven regular-season conference matches, he had four goals (one game-winner) and 11 points, then earned LEC playoff MVP honors by scoring the game-winning goals in victories over Rhode Island College and UMass Dartmouth. His goal against UMass Dartmouth was the only one of the game and provided the Warriors with their second title in three years.

Bourdeau has copped all-conference honors and started every possible match in each of his two seasons at Eastern after transferring from the Division II level. Two of his three goals came on the opening weekend of the season and helped account for victories over top New England tournament contenders MIT and Babson College at the Babson Invitational.

The Warriors' selection for the Team Sportsmanship Award was due in large part to its low foul and yellow card warning totals this season. In 21 games, Eastern had the least number of fouls and yellow cards of any of the conference's eight clubs. The Warriors averaged less than seven fouls per game - five fewer per game than their nearest competitor - and were assessed only six yellow cards. The yellow card total was eight less than their nearest competitior and 35 fewer than the conference leader.

Below: Kristianna Ibsen

Both Eastern and regular-season conference champion Keene State College had six all-conference selections (four first-teamers each) on the squad, which consisted of 12 first-teamers and 12 second-teamers

Having equaled the 40-year program record for wins in a season, Eastern (16-4-1) opens play in its 15th post-season tournament Saturday at Troy, N.Y. against host RPI.

Ibsen volleyball first-teamer

Ibsen was named the program's first first-team selection in three years when she was one of six players named to the first team, which represented five of the conference's eight teams. The second team also consisted of six players. Players received votes regardless of position.

Theh 5-foot-10 inch Ibsen was one of five middle hitters chosen to the first team, which was rounded out by outside hitter Kate McWhorter of regular-season and playoff champion Massachusetts Boston. The second team was comprised of three setters, two outside hitters and a middle hitter.

Through the conference playoffs, Ibsen was ranked fourth in the conference in kills per game (3.44), fifth in points per game (4.04), and sixth in attack percentage (.297). In seven regular-season conference matches, Ibsen attacked at .319 and totaled 12 blocks and 30 digs.

In 12 years of conference volleyball, Eastern has had 33 all-conference selections, four Player-of-the-Year and one Rookie-of-the-Year selections and six conference tournament Most Outstanding Player picks.

A four-time conference regular-season and seven-time LEC tournament champion, Eastern (12-20) finished sixth this season and was eliminated in the opening round of the conference tournament.

Field hockey team recognized

Despite losing all 11 of its conference matches and finishing 3-15 overall, the Warriors were the top vote-getter for the inaugural Team Sportsmanship Award.

little east conference
FALL ALL-CONFERENCE TEAMS

WOMEN'S SOCCER
Lauren Hickey   Jr. B First Team
Christine Lemieux  Sr. B First Team
Daniela Marchitto  Fr. F First Team
Sarah Swann   Sr. MF First Team
Kim Church   Sr. GK Second Team
Taylor MacDonald  Sr. F Second Team

Offensive Player-of-the-Year
Sarah Swann
Defensive Player-of-the-Year
Lauren Hickey
Rookie-of-the-Year
Daniela Marchitto

MEN'S SOCCER
Carl Appel   So. GK First Team
Nicholas Boretti  Sr. MF First Team
Maxim Fantl   Sr. F First Team
Aaron Smiles   So. B First Team
Chris Bourdeau  Sr. MF Second Team
Bradley Fletcher  Fr. B Second Team

Offensive Player-of-the-Year
Maxim Fantl
Rookie-of-the-Year
Bradley Fletcher
Team Sportsmanship Award
Eastern Conn.

WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL
Kristianna Ibsen So. MH First Team

FIELD HOCKEY

Team Sportsmanship Award
Eastern Conn.

SOCCERS OPEN NCAAs SATURDAY

2009-11-09T18:19:59Z

In regionals, women are at Amherst and men travel to RPI

WILLIMANTIC, Conn. - The women's and men's soccer teams will open play in their respective 2009 NCAA Division III tournaments Saturday against host institutions.

In the 63-team women's field, the Warriors will visit Amherst College (12-3-1) and will play the host Lord Jeffs at 11 a.m. at Hitchcock Field. In the 59-team men's field, the Warriors will visit RPI (13-2-2) and take on the host Engineers at 1:30 p.m. at Renwyck Field. In the other regional first-round game at Amherst in the women's tournament, The College of New Jersey faces

Plattsburgh State Saturday at 1:30 p.m.. In the other regional first-round game at RPI in the men's tournament, Williams College faces Husson University at 11 a.m.

Both regional tournament finals are scheduled for Sunday at 1 p.m.

Both Eastern teams qualified automatically for the tournament by winning 1-0 decisions in the Little East Conference finals Saturday. The second-seeded women downed top-seeded host Keene State College and the second-seeded men eliminated visiting fourth seed Massachusetts Dartmouth.

In the women's field, New Jersey was an automatic qualifier out of the New Jersey Athletic Conference, while Amherst and Plattsburgh each received an at-large invitation. Iin the men's field, Williams was an automatic qualifier out of the New England Small College Athletic Conference, while RPI and Husson were selected on an at-large basis.

Women making fourth NCAA appearance

Below: From left: Hickey, MacDonald (background) and Church

The Eastern women (12-5-3) are making their fourth appearance in the NCAA tournament, third as the automatic qualifier from the Little East Conference. The Warriors are looking for their first NCAA victory, having dropped a 2-0 decision to Bates in their last appearance in 2005.

Eastern finished on the short end of a 2-0 home decision to Amherst Oct. 15 and is 3-8-3 all-time against the Lord Jeffs. In this week's NCAA New England Region rankings through Sunday, the Warriors were not ranked among the 12 ranked teams while Amherst is rated third. New Jersey was the third-ranked team in the South Atlantic Region and Plattsburgh was seventh in the East Region.

Amherst is the last New England team to defeat Eastern this season. Since losing to Amherst three weeks ago, Eastern has won six of seven overall, with two of the victories coming in the conference playoffs. In those six wins, the team has given up just one goal.

Under tenth-year head coach Chris D'Ambrosio, the Warriors won their third conference playoff title Saturday and have now won at least ten matches in each of the last nine years.

Behind senior goalie Kim Church (Farmington) and starting senior defender Christine Lemieux (South Windsor), and juniors Lauren Hickey (Southwick, MA), and Stephanie Norell (Stratford), Eastern has allowed less than a goal per game and has given up more than one only four times in 20 matches. Senior Sarah Swann (Oxford) and freshmen Daniela Marchitto (Orange) and Kelly Wallace (South Windsor) are the team's top offensive threats, with senior Taylor MacDonald (Oak Bluffs, MA) and sophomore Jo-Ann Merheb (Bethel) two of the top playmakers.

Swann has a conference-leading 14 goals (six game-winners) and 33 points and has recorded at least one point in seven of the last ten matches. She scored the only goal of the match against Keene State Saturday.Wallace has four goals and a freshman-record ten assists and Marchitto has eight goals (three game-winners) and an assist. Church, the MVP of the conference playoffs, has started every match in net, with nine of them resulting in shutouts. She has a 0.86 goals-against average and .789 save percentage.

The Lord Jeffs are making their tenth NCAA appeaerance, having progressed to the national quarters or further six times, including last season. In 16 matches this year, Amherst allowed only one team to score more than a goal, that coming in a 3-0 home loss Oct. 3 to Williams College, ranked first in the NCAA New England Region through games of Sunday. All three of their losses are to teams ranked regionally. Sophomore keeper Allie Horwitz ranks fifth nationally in save percentage (.911) to go along with a 0.48 goals-against average. Senior Meg Murphy, the 2008 conference Player-of-the-Year, leads a balanced aback with a team-high 16 points, junior Jackie Hirsch adding 15.

In addition to playing Amherst, Eastern played one other team which qualified for the NCAA tournament, losing 4-1 at Williams Sept. 13.

A total of ten teams from New England will participate in the tournament. Seven were automatic qualifiers and three received at-large bids.

Men in 15th post-season tournament

Eastern (16-4-1) is competing in post-season tournament play for the third time in as many years under third-year head coach Greg DeVito. It is the Warriors' second NCAA showing in the last three years, and 15th tournament appearance in program history. In DeVito's first year in 2007, Eastern won its first conference playoff title and was eliminated in its first-ever NCAA tournament game, 2-0, by Williams. Last year, the Warriors were seeded first in the ECAC New England Division III tournament and won two games before dropping a 1-0 decision to the U.S. Coast Guard Academy.

Eastern is ranked ninth among 11 teams in the NCAA New England Region poll through games of Sunday. RPI is third in the East, Williams first in New England and Husson is unranked. Eastern and RPI have never met in men's soccer.

The 1-0 win over Massachusetts Dartmouth Saturday in the conference championship game allowed the Warriors to tie the program record for victories in a season, set by the 1969 NAIA New England champions. Eastern has won eight straight overall and 11 in a row against New England opponents. In 15 of 21 matches, Eastern's opponent has scored less than two goals, with four Eastern keepers combining on a total of nine shutouts.

Below: Chris Bourdeau

Seven freshmen and sophomores have comprised the bulk of the team's starting lineup, which has been anchored by seniors Chris Bourdeau (Thompson), Nicholas Boretti (Marshfield, MA) and Maxim Fantl (West Hartford). The team's starting forwards, Fantl and Boretti have combined for more than half (25) of the team's 49 goals and have also combined for ten assists. Fantl has accumulated a conference-leading 17 goals (four game-winners) and 40 points, with Boretti adding eight goals (three game-winners) and 20 points. First-year sophomore Matt Furman (Montville) has chipped in seven goals (four game-winners) and five assists and sophomore defender Aaron Smiles (Bedford, MA) a conference-leading ten assists. For Boretti, the MVP of the conference playoffs, two of his game-winning goals came in the conference tournament.

A returning first-team All-New England Region pick, Fantl ranks third all-time at Eastern in points (49-20-118), with this year's goal total the most in a season since Jason Brasher in 1991 (no player has score more than 17 since All-America Glenn Judge had 22 in 1987). In 19 starts this year, sophomore keeper Carl Appel (West Windsor, NJ) has posted five full shutouts with a 0.94 goals-against average and .814 save percentage.

As a team, the Warriors have collected better than 100 more shots than their opponents, nearly twice as many corner kicks, and have commited half as many fouls.

Last Wednesday, Liberty League regular-season champion RPI had six-game unbeaten streak halted with a 3-2 overtime loss to Union College in the semifinal round of the league tournament. Union is the only team to have beaten RPI this year, as it also claimed a 1-0 win a month ago at Troy, NY. For the Engineers in net, first-team all-league junior keeper Alex Penny has started 16 of 17 matches with a 0.54 goals-against average and .871 save percentage - marks which rank him among the national Top Ten. He also has nine full shutouts. Behind Penny, RPI opened its season with seven straight shutouts (6-0-1 record) and until the tournament loss to Union, had never surrendered more than one goal in a match.

The NCAA appearance is the second straight and sixth overall for RPI, which is under the direction of eighth-year head coach Adam Clinton.

While Eastern has featured an extremely young team this year, RPI has succeeded with a veteran unit as all but two of its starters are either seniors or juniors. Eight of the team's players were named to the all-league team last week.

The Warriors won two and lost one against teams which were named to the tournament. They shut out Salem State College, 3-0, at home Sept. 29 and blanked Babson College, 1-0, at Wellesley, MA Sept. 6 and lost at Montclair State University, 2-1 in double overtime, Oct. 4. All three of those teams were automatic qualifiers to the NCAA tournament.

Keene State College is the only common opponent this year between Eastern and RPI Eastern lost at home to Keene, 4-1, Sept. 16, while RPI downed the Owls, 1-0, Oct. 14. at home.

A total of ten teams from New England will participate in the tournament. Seven were automatic qualifiers and three received at-large bids.

NCAA Division III
Women's Soccer Tournament
at Amherst, MA

Saturday, Nov. 14

EASTERN CONN. (12-5-3) vs. Amherst College (12-3-1), 11 a.m.
The College of New Jersey (14-2-1) vs. Plattsburgh State College (10-5-3)

Sunday, Nov. 15

Final, 1 p.m.

NCAA Division III
Men's Soccer Tournament
at Troy, NY

Saturday, Nov. 14

Williams College (14-2-1) vs. Husson U. (10-8-2), 11 a.m.

EASTERN CONN. (16-4-1) vs. RPI (13-2-2), 1:30 p.m.

Sunday, Nov. 15

Final, 1 p.m.

FUTBOL FRENZY: LEC CHAMPS x 2

2009-11-07T20:27:44Z

Both teams emerge with 1-0 victories in Little East Conference title games

Audio: Boretti.wav Appel.wav

For only the third time in the 11-year history of the Little East Conference soccer championship, the men's and women's teams from the same institution have hoisted playoff championship flags in the same season.

One Eastern soccer team performed a road upset, while the other fended off the spirited bid of an underdog visiting squad. as both Eastern teams qualified for this coming week's NCAA Division III tournament with 1-0 triumphs in the championship games of their respective 2009 tournaments.

Audio: Chris D'Ambrosio (at right), women's coach.wav

The women's team captured its third flag in the last seven seasons by upending top-seeded Keene State College, while the men corralled their second LEC playoff championship by withstanding the charge of fourth-seeded University of Massachusetts Boston.

Making the titles sweeter is the fact that neither Eastern team was operating a full efficiency, with a number of important cogs in both team's engines sidelines by either injury or sickness.
It marks only the third time in the history of the championship that the same institution has won both championships in the same year. Eastern becomes the first institution to win both in the same year without either the men's or women's team being the No. 1 seed.

Men withstand UMass's upset bid

Utilizing only three substitutes -- two of them backup goalkeepers -- due to sickness and injury, men's soccer persevered to win its second title in three years - both coming at home. In 2007, current assistant coach Jay Barney stopped two penalty kicks when Eastern posted its first-ever title with the shootout win over Keene State College. The teams had played 110 scoreless minutes before the Warriors prevailed in the PK session. Saturday's shutout gives the Eastern defense 200 scoreless minutes in two championship matches.

Saturday, senior co-captain Nicholas Boretti (Marshfield, MA) scored his eighth goal of the season midway through the second on assists from freshmen Cory Tobler (Portland) and Jon DeCasanova (Glastonbury) and sophomore keeper Carl Appel (West Windsor, NJ) made two standout saves in the second half for the team's second LEC title in as many championship game appearances.

DeCasanova sent a pass to the left flank to Tobler, who sent a low shot through the box to the far post, where Boretti found space and one-timed it home.

Boretti was named the tournament Most Outstanding Player after scoring game-winning goals in each of the team's shutout wins in the playoffs. He scored the first goal Wednesday as the second-seeded Warriors blanked No. 3 seed Rhode Island College, 2-0, at the Mansfield Outdoor Complex

The win is Eastern's (16-4-1) eighth straight this year and tenth in a row against New England competition and ties the 40-year-old program record for wins in a season.The Warriors are ranked fifth in New England.

With a recent spate of injuries and illness, third-year head coach Greg DeVito had only three substitutes at his disposal, two of whom were backup keepers Tyler Edwardsen (Ledyard) and Jordan Munsell (Waterford), who combined for 51 minutes. The dearth of available reserves necessitated that seven starting field players logged all 90 minutes.

Among those unable to perform were forward/midfielders Sean Capezzone (Colchester) and Matt Furman (Montville). Capezzone re-injured his left knee against Rhode Island College Wednesday, while Furman, the team's second-leading scorer, woke up with the flu Saturday morning. Eight freshmen and sophomores were among the team's starting unit against the Corsairs.

The recent casualties forced DeVito to move sophomore Matt Esposito (East Haven) from midfield to back and inserte sophomore Matt Kalmin (Burlington) at midfield, where he was making his first start of the year.

Two of Appel's saves came early in the second half when he was forced to stretch full out at the left post to stop shots by Ebenezer Vicente and Kyle Lopes. The Corsairs also had three ideal chances in the final 28 minutes. Alves put one over the crossbar with 28 minutes left, then had a free kick in the box sail wide right. A shot by Jason Couto from the top of the box shot also landed on top of the net with 13 minutes left.

Eastern scoring leader Maxim Fantl (West Hartford) was held scoreless on three shots (all coming in the first half), but was involved in a handful of first-half opportunities that nearly boosted the team into a halftime lead. Fantl, the LEC leader with 17 goals and 40 points, collected a cross from Tobler five minutes into play and hammered a shot of the right post. Ten minutes later, he traded places with Tobler, sending a pass ahead to the freshman, who unloaded a shot over the crossbar. Racing from left to right through the box midway through the stanza, Fantl then uncorked a line drive right at UMass freshman keeper Mike Phelan, who kept the game scoreless by pulling it into his body.. With eight minutes left in the half, Fantl took a pass from freshman midfielder Dan Fish (Marlborough) but volleyed it into the side of the net.

Seniors win first LEC playoff title

(Liz Cutler photo)

Senior Sarah Swann (Oxford) scored her conference-leading 14th goal of the year on an assist from sophomore Sam Konopka (Hebron) and senior Kim Church (Farmington) made six saves as second-seeded women's soccer won its third Little East Conference championship in seven years with a 1-0 win over top-seeded Keene State College Saturday.

With its fifth shutout victory in its last seven outings, Eastern (12-5-3) qualifies for its fourth NCAA tournament (third under tenth-year head coach Chris D'Ambrosio), which gets underway Thursday. Keene (14-6-2) had a three-game winning streak snapped and lost in the tourney final for the seventh time in nine appearances, falling to the Warriors for the third time in four tries in the clinching game.Eastern is 2-1 against Keene in finals played at Keene.

The title is the first for seniors Swann, Chuch, Taylor MacDonald (Oak Bluffs, MA), Christine Lemieux (South Windsor), who had lost in the title game to Western Connecticut the previous two years after being eliminated by Keene in the team's first conference tournament game in 2006.

Church, selected the tournament's Most Outstanding Player, made several game-saving saves among her six, with two coming in the first half and another in the second. In the first half, Church made hand saves on two consecutive Keene bids. First, she deflected a shot by Keene scoring leader Katie Bradford off the crossbar, then re-gained her feet to knock away the rebound.

Konopka, who played 67 minutes off the bench, set up Swann's game-winning goal in the 69th minute with a free kick for her second assist of the season -- both coming in the last three matches.

The Warriors pulled off their second championship game win on Keene's field in three tries despite getting little or not contributions from three injured players:sophomore back Laura Violette (Wallingford), sophomore forward Lauren Greeney (Bethel) and freshman forward/midfielder Kelly Wallace (South Windsor), the conference assist leader. Wallace was pulled from the starting lineup after only 23 minutes, while Greeney was limited to 33 minutes off the bench. Violette missed her sixth game of the season after re-injuring her ankle recently.

Since losing 2-1 in overtime at Keene State Sept. 26, Eastern is 8-2-2 in its last 12 matches. The Owls had gone unbeaten (6-0-1) in the conference regular-season in winning third first LEC regular-season title since 2004

Men's Soccer
Eastern Conn. 1, Massachusetts Dartmouth 0

UMass Dartmouth (10-8-2) 0 0 -- 0
Eastern Conn. (16-4-1) 0 1 -- 1

Scoring: Nicholas Boretti (Jon DeCasanova, Cory Tobler) 65:21.
Shots: MD-13, E-7; Saves: MD-Mike Phelan 1, E-Carl Appel 5.
Corner kicks: MD-5, E-5.

Women's Soccer
Eastern Conn. 1, Keene State College 0

Eastern Conn. (12-5-3) 0 1 -- 1
Keene State (14-6-2) 0 0 -- 0

Scoring: E-Sarah Swann (Sam Konopka) 68:19.
Shots: E-4, K-15; Saves: E-Kim Church 6, K-Meghan Dempsey 2.
Corner kicks: E-1, K-3.

BUCZEK PACES FIVE TEAMMATES AT ECAC M-CROSS COUNTRY MEET

2009-11-07T15:48:12Z

Senior cuts more than a minute off his time on this course from a year ago

Below: Sam Buczek

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. - Senior Sam Buczek (Milford) finished among the top 25 percent in a field of 294 runners Saturday at the ECAC Division III Men's Cross Country Championship Meet at Mt. Greylock High School.

Buczek placed 73rd overall in a time of 28:35, which was more than a minute faster than the time he posted on this course last year at the NCAA Division III New England Regional Championship.

The team's No. 2 runner this year, Buczek was the only one of the team's top seven runner to compete. The others - among them No. 1 runner Dave Hunt (New Milford) -- will await this coming Saturday's regional championship meet at the Twin Brook Recreation Center in Cumberland, ME.

ECAC Division III
Men's Cross Country Championship
Run over 8,000 meters
at Mt. Greylock Regional HS
Williamstown, Mass.

Team Results
Top 10

1. Williams College 85; 2. Saint Vincent College (PA) 89; 3. Bates College 101; 4. Amherst College 111; 5. Vassar College 159; 6. Johnson & Wales U. 217; 7. U. of Southern Maine 221; 8. Tufts U. 282; 9. The College of New Jersey 290; 10. Lyndon State College 336.
25. EASTERN CONN. 749.

Eastern's finishers

73. Sam Buczek 28:35; 157. Casey McGarvey 30:11; 163. 163. Stefan Skolozdra 30:19; 173. Ken Landry 30:30; 209. Alejandro Hernandez 31:28; 213. Ryan Hughes 31:44.

CAVANAUGH LEADS EASTERN W-CROSS COUNTRY AT ECAC MEET

2009-11-07T15:16:29Z

Senior places among top 40 percent in 275-person field

Below: Alexis Cavanaugh

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. - Senior Alexis Cavanaugh (Cheshire) continued her comeback from shin splints by finishing among the top 40 percent in a field of 275 runners Saturday at the ECAC Division III Women's Cross Country Championship Meet at Mt. Greylock High School.

Last year's No. 2 runner, Cavanaugh placed 102nd overall in her third race of the season after missing the first half of the year while recovering from shin splints. Cavanaugh was timed in 26:48 over the 6,000 meter race, nearly one minute faster than her time on this course last year at the regional qualifier.

Three of Eastern's other four competitors were freshmen.

Only half of Eastern's runners competed in the race, with many choosing to rest for next Saturday's NCAA Division III New England qualifier at the Twin Brook Recreation Center in Cumberland, ME.

ECAC Division III
Women's Cross Country Championship
Run over 6,000 meters
at Mt. Greylock Regional HS
Williamstown, Mass.

Team Results
Top 10

1. Middlebury College 37; 2. Williams College 50; 3. Amherst College 105; 4. Vassar College 133; 5. U.S. Coast Guard Academy 177; 6. Springfield College 201; 7. Colby College 226; 8. Tufts U. 236; 9. Bates College 238; 10. Saint Vincent College (PA) 270.
34. EASTERN CONN. 973.

Eastern's finishers

102. Alexis Cavanaugh 26:48; 181. Melissa Healy 28:25; 235. Brittany Miskell 30:39; 253. Victoria Pemberton 32:18; 255. Megan Frost 32:20

FOR M-SOCCER, ONE MORE HURDLE

2009-11-07T01:41:55Z

Warriors one win away from second Little East playoff title in three years

By Matt Fontaine, Sports Information staff

Audio.wav

Boretti (top),and Fantl

The men's soccer team will try to capture its second Little East Conference championship in three years when it hosts the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Saturday at noon at the Mansfield Outdoor Athletic Complex.

Seeded second in the playoffs, Eastern (15-4-1, 6-1-0 little east regular season) was able to defeat defending conference champion Rhode Island College Wednesday, 2-0. Fourth-seeded UMass Dartmouth (10-6-2, 3-3-1 little east regular season) upset top-seeded and regular-season champion Keene State College in overtime Wednesday, 2-1, to set up the championship match.

Eastern traveled to UMass Dartmouth two weeks ago and defeated the Corsairs, 3-0. Senior co-captains Nicholas Boretti (Marshfield, MA) and Maxim Fantl (West Hartford) both picked up a goal and an assist in the contest. Sophomore keeper Carl Appel (West Windsor, NJ) made four saves in the game and recorded his third complete-match shutout of the season and 10th of his career.

The Warriors and Corsairs will be playing against each other for only the second time ever in the post-season. In a first-round match being played at UMass Dartmouth in 2001, the Corsairs scored a goal with only seven seconds left to defeat Eastern 1-0.

Both teams will be playing in only their second LEC championship game ever. In 2007, the Warriors won their first championship when they defeated Keene State College in penalty kicks at Thomas Nevers Field following 110 scoreless minutes (current assistant coach Jay Barney was the team's goalie in that match, stopping two PKs). The Corsairs lost, 1-0, in three overtimes to Plymouth State in 2000 in their one and only trip to the LEC championship game.

Eastern comes into the championship game riding a season-high seven game winning streak. The Warriors are unbeaten (5-0-1) in their last six matches against UMass Dartmouth and have an all-time record of 26-10-6 against the Corsairs.

The winner of the LEC championship game receives an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, which is scheduled to start Thursday.

The Eastern-UMass Dartmouth game can be heard live on WECS beginning at 11:55 a.m. The link can be found on the Eastern men's soccer home page. The match will also be aired on tape delay at www.littleeast.tv.

SATURDAY SHOWDOWN: WARRIORS TACKLE KEENE STATE IN LEC FINAL

2009-11-07T00:35:17Z

They face Keene in title game for fourth time with NCAA invite on line

Audio.wav

Chris D'Ambrosio, head coach

The women's soccer team has shut out Keene State College the last two years in order to reach the championship game of the Little East Conference playoffs.

On Saturday, the teams will meet in the LEC playoffs for the eighth time in nine years. This season, it will be for all the marbles as the clubs meet in the championship game for the fourth time. The winner receives an automatic bid into the NCAA Division III tournament.

With an unbeaten 6-0-1 conference record this year, top-seeded Keene (14-5-2) claimed its first conference regular-season championship since 2004, when the top-seeded Owls went on to win their second and last playoff title with a 3-0 home win over second-seeded Eastern. After sharing last year's regular-season title, second-seeded Eastern (11-5-3) followed up with a 5-1-1 mark this season, sharing second place in the final conference regular-season standings with Massachusetts Boston.

Sandwiched around Keene's 2004 finals win over Eastern were Warrior triumphs over the Owls in the 2003 finale at Keene and in the 2005 title tilt at Thomas Nevers Field. Since the second-seeded Warriors downed Keene on penalty kicks in 2003, the top seed has captured each of the last five championships.

Either Eastern or Keene or both have appeared in all ten previous championship games, with each winning twice. The Warriors have finished second three times in the playoffs and the Owls have lost in the final game six times. In its most recent finals showing in 2006, Keene dropped a 4-2 decision to host Western Connecticut - the first of three straight titles for the Colonials.

The championship game between the two teams is the fourth, but the first since the teams met in those three consecutive seasons between 2003 and 2005. The Warriors have lost 2-1 decisions to Western Connecticut in each of the last two finals.

In Thursday's semifinals at home, Eastern swamped third-seeded UMass Boston, 4-0, and Keene ended the three-year reign of fourth-seeded Western, 2-0. Both of Saturday's finalists drew first-round byes.

Since losing at Keene, 2-1 in overtime Sept. 26, Eastern has posted a 7-2-2 record. The Warriors are 3-4-1 on their opponent's field this year. Ranked in a tie for tenth in New England, Keene is 10-2-3 in its last 15 and is 8-2-1 at home this season. The Owls have yet to give up more than one goal in a match this season. Eastern leads the LEC in least goals allowed this year (17) and in goals-against average (0.85), but is followed closely by Keene.

Keene junior Katie Bradford and Eastern senior Sarah Swann (Oxford) rank 2-3 in the conference in scoring and Eastern freshman Kelly Wallace (South Windsor) tops all conference players with ten assists.

In addition to Swann, Eastern seniors who will be involved in the final conference contests of their careers are goalkeeper Kim Church (Farmington), defender Christine Lemieux (South Windsor) and forward/midfielder Taylor MacDonald (Oak Bluffs, MA).

For a live video feed and live stats of the match, click on the Tournament Central link on the Little East Conference website.

W-SOCCER ADVANCES TO LITTLE EAST CONFERENCE TITLE GAME

2009-11-06T00:38:33Z

LEC Tournament Central

Freshmen combine for three goals and two assists in 4-0 victory

Audio.wav

Chris D'Ambrosio, Coach

MANSFIELD, Conn. - In 110 minutes of soccer a little more than a month ago, women's soccer could not solve the defense of the University of Massachusetts Boston when the teams played to a scoreless overtime draw.

At right: Daniela Marchitto

For the Warriors Thursday, there was no mystery as they scored twice in the first 16 minutes and eased to a 4-0 victory in the semifinal round of the Little East Conference tournament at the Mansfield Outdoor Complex. For Eastern, it was its largest margin of victory, largest winning margin by shutout and most goals scored in conference playoff competition.

Three Eastern freshmen combined for three goals and two assists in sparking the second-seeded Warriors over the third-seeded Beacons - a victory that lifts the Warriors into the conference championship game for the sixth time in seven years.

A winner of five straight against New England opponents, Eastern (11-5-3) will meet No. 1 seed Keene State College (14-5-2) at Keene, NH Saturday at 1 p.m. (note time change).The Owls eliminated three-time defending conference playoff champion and fourth-seeded Western Connecticut State University, 2-0, Thursday night.

The top-rated team in the conference in both offense and defense, UMass Boston (14-5-1) gave up two goals in the first 16 minutes against Eastern after giving up a total of only two goals in its last six matches.

Below: Kelly Wallace

Although the teams played 110 minutes of scoreless soccer a month ago at Mansfield, the Warriors struck quickly this time by getting goals from freshman Daniela Marchitto (Orange) in the tenth minute and Jo-Ann Merheb (Bethel) less than seven minutes later. Freshman Kelly Wallace (South Windsor) added the first two-goal game of her brief career later in the half, scoring on similar shots on the right side less than three minutes apart as Eastern sewed up the victory before the half.

Wallace, who broke the freshman season record for assists last Saturday, also contributed her sixth assist in the last four games when she set up Merheb's fourth goal of the season in the 16th minute of play.

Eastern's defense, rated second in the conference, limited the Beacons to only five shots, only two of which forced Eastern senior keeper Kim Church (Farmington) to make saves. UMass was held without a shot until just three minutes remained in the first half and Church was not called upon for her first save until seven minutes had elapsed in the second half. UMass sophomore Kristin Mulry and junior Tina Gillin were held in check by the Eastern defense. The conference scoring leader, Mulry did not have a shot, and Gillin was limited to two. Mulry did not return to the game after departing 13 minutes into the second half.

For the fourth time this year, Eastern did not allow its opponent to earn a corner kick.

In all, four Eastern freshmen combined for three goals and two assists. In addition to the contributions of Wallace and Marchitto, freshman Rachel Cutler (Guilford) was credited with her first career point when she set up Wallace's first goal.

Senior defender Christine Lemieux (South Windsor) doubled her season assist total by collecting two, and sophomore forward Lauren Greeney (Bethel) came off the bench to register her first point of the season with an assist on Wallaces' second goal. Greeney was appearing in only her sixth match of the year due to injury.

The conference championship game appearance will be the third straight and sixth in the last seven years under tenth-year head coach Chris D'Ambrosio. A winner of two conference championships in 2003 and 2005, Eastern has dropped 2-1 decision to Western Connecticut each of the last two years.

Keene edged Eastern, 2-1 in overtime when the teams met Sept. 26 at Keene, NH. Eastern and Keene State are meeting for the fourth time in the playoff title match, with the Warriors having won twice. The Owls are making their ninth appearance in the championship game in 11 years. The 2002 and 2004 conference champion, Keene qualified for the finals in each of the first eight years of the event before missing out the previous two season.

Eastern and Keene have met three times in the final, each year between 2003 and 2005. Eastern won on penalty kicks in 2003 at Keene, NH and 2-0 at Thomas Nevers Field in 2005. The Owls won, 3-0, at Keene in 2004. The Warriors are one of only two teams to ever win the championship as the No. 2 seed, that coming over top-seeded Keene in 2003.

Eastern Conn. 4, Massachusetts Boston 0

UMass Boston (14-5-1) 0 0 -- 0
Eastern Conn. (11-5-3) 4 0 -- 4

Scoring: Daniela Marchitto 9:14; Jo-Ann Merheb (Kelly Wallace) 15:51; Wallace (Christine Lemieux, Rachel Cutler) 38:14; Wallace (Lemieux, Lauren Greeney) 41:08.
Shots: MB-5, E-15; Saves: MB-Jessica Penta 5, E-Kim Church 2 (80:30 min.), Theresa Pagnozzi 0 (9:30).
Corner kicks: E-3, MB-0.