The Owls had success executing their penalty corners vs. Eastern Connecticut State. Lauren Tavares gets ready to strike the ball wtih assistance from Courtney Araujo. Looking on is Allie Lucenta. (Photo by Mickey Curtis)
MANSFIELD, CONNN. – Penalty corners proved to be the difference-maker in Eastern Connecticut State University’s 4-1 Little East Conference field hockey loss against Westfield State University Saturday, Sept. 15, at the Mansfield Outdoor Complex, as three of the Owls’ goals came on those set pieces.
The road match was the first of the year for Westfield (3-1, 1-1 LEC) while Eastern (2-3, 0-2 LEC) lost its second in as many tries this year at home. The victory was the eighth straight for the Owls over the Warriors in this 14-game series.
Westfield, which amassed a 16-5 advantage in corner, struck first in the 14th minute off a penalty corner when junior forward Sarah Pliszka (Enfield) elevated her shot past Eastern (2-3, 0-2 LEC) sophomore keeper Olivia Mullen (Bethel) on the upper right portion of the net.
Eastern was able to keep the score 1-0 at halftime despite being down two players due to penalty in the 27th minute. Eastern successfully killed the penalty and almost tied the game in the 33rd minute when junior midfielder Finley Ahearn (Wallingford) sent in the penalty corner to senior forward Hannah Collier (Watertown), who had her shot attempt get deflected to freshman forward Laura Chicorka (Enfield). Her rebound opportunity missed the goal to the right, sending the game to halftime at the 1-0 score.
Nursing a one-goal halftime lead, Westfield State scored twice in a six-minute span. early in the second half. The Owls’ second goal came off another penalty corner when senior midfielder Lauren Tavares (Tiverton, RI) scored on an elevated shot that beat Mullen into the top left corner in the 43rd minute, the goal was assisted by senior forward Liz Hall (Southwick, MA). In the 49th, Westfield State extended its lead to 3-0 on a backhand shot batted in by freshman forward Taylor Chase (Holden, MA).
Eastern attempted to fight back, scoring off its penalty corner in the 50th when freshman forward Hannah Keiser (Danbury) recorded her first career points on a bullet that beat Westfield senior goalie Khrystyna Mitchell (Shelburne Falls, MA). The assist came from Ahearn, who also recorded her first career point.
However, just five minutes later, Westfield scored the last goal of the game, once again off a penalty corner. Hall scored after she sent in the penalty corner as she received the ball from sophomore forward Kelly Kinney (Suffield), who had come off the bench.
Westfield had the advantage in most stat categories. The Owls outshot Eastern, 9-2. Mullen made four saves, but last week’s LEC Rookie-of-the-Week watched her goals-against average balloon from 1.25 to 1.80. Mitchell needed only two saves to improve her record to 3-1. She has allowed only one goal in her last two starts. Westfield State benefitted from having 16 corners to Easterns’ five.
