Lancers Come Up Short in Home Opener to Eastern Connecticut

WORCESTER, Mass. – Eastern Connecticut's Paige Schneider (E. Lyme, Conn.) led the Warriors as she scored a game-high five goals and assisted one in the 13-10 victory over Worcester State University Saturday afternoon. With the win the Warriors improve to 2-2 on the season, while the Lancers even out at 1-1 thus far in the 2016 campaign.

The Lancers had a three-man advantage to begin play, as Alaina Martin (E. Longmeadow, Mass.) scored two quick goals to put the Lancers on top. The Warriors bounced back with a 6-0 run as Schneider scored three, Maggie Bodington (Stratford, Conn.) scored one with a man-down, and Tess Mraz (Fairfield, Conn.) and Katie Burke (S. Windsor, Conn.) added in one apiece to give the Warriors a 6-2 lead.

Worcester State's Katelyn Murphy (Billerica, Mass.) scored halfway through the first on an assist from Jackie Connors (Ashland, Mass.), only for Eastern Connecticut to answer with two additional goals, bringing the score to 8-3. Worcester's Kaila Chase (Northbridge, Mass.) and Connors had back-to-back goals within the last 10 minutes of the half to pull within three. Though, the Warriors took back their five-point gain when Burke and Bodington netted one apiece, resulting in a 10-5 score at the intermission.

After trailing by five at the half, the Warriors extended their lead to six on a goal from Schneider. Though, the Lancers got fired up and scored three unanswered goals from Mackenzie Callini (W. Springfield, Mass.), Amanda Pruyn (Tyngsboro, Mass.), and Chase. The Warriors and Lancers went chance-for-chance in the remaining 10 minutes of play, eventually resulting in a 13-10 win for Eastern Connecticut.

Following Schneider's offensive lead, Warriors' Burke registered five points as she claimed three goals and two assists. Bodington and Devine each recorded two goals apiece, while Mraz tallied two points on a goal and an assist.

For the Lancers, Chase led the offensive charge, as she attained three goals against the Warriors. Martin marked two for the Blue and Gold, while Connors registered two points on a goal and an assist.

The Warriors' goaltender, Taylor Emmerson (Colchester, Conn.) registered 10 saves on the afternoon to earn her second win of the season. Worcester's Krissy Pessa (Walpole, Mass.) recorded the loss as she collected three saves.

Worcester State held the advantage in draw controls (16-7), as Connors earned a game-high of four. Though, Eastern Connecticut outnumbered Worcester in the ground game (18-14) and forced 24 Lancer turnovers.

Next up, Worcester State travels to Western Connecticut State University on Thursday (Mar. 10) for a 7:00 p.m. game time. The Warriors don't return to the competition field until next Saturday (Mar. 12) where they will host Wellesley at 12 noon.