MANSFIELD, Conn. – Despite an 11-5 lead halfway through the third quarter, the Keene State College women's lacrosse team was unable to hold onto the lead the rest of the contest as Eastern Connecticut State University mounted the five-goal to defeat KSC, 13-12.

Records

• Keene State: 5-9 (2-3 LEC)
• Eastern Connecticut: 6-6 (4-1 LEC)

How it Happened


Lola Varricchione won the opening draw control and found the back of the net for the opening goal of the contest just 44 seconds into action to put the Owls ahead. The Owls continued to pile on the goals early on the contest after winning the ensuing draw controls to jump to a 4-0 lead over the opening 3:03 of the contest. Tess Brown won the second draw control of the game, leading to Riley Devine scoring her first goal on a free position shot a minute after Varricchione's goal. Devine tacked on another goal 44 seconds later a man-up goal from Hayden Smith and it only took 26 seconds for KSC to round out their 4-0 scoring run with Anna Maccarini finding Kayln Arnold for the goal. Eastern's timeout following the Owls' fourth goal worked as the Warriors scored next with Molly Page scoring her first of three goals, coming with 8:30 remaining in the first, despite Katelyn Nicotera making a pair of saves prior in net for the Owls. ECSU recorded four more shots on goal the rest of the opening quarter and Nicotera made three saves for KSC, including one on a free position attempt, while ECSU pulled within a pair of goals with 5:32 remaining in the first quarter. Before the first quarter was over Devine scored her third goal of the game, tying her career-high for goals in a single game in just the first quarter, giving KSC the 5-2 lead heading into the second.
 
KSC continued the scoring early in the second as Varricchione assisted Brown for a man-up goal 1:23 into the quarter. ECSU responded with a pair of goals over the next 1:22, just 25 seconds a part to pull back within a pair. Nicotera bounced back with three saves in net for the Owls, but Thea O'Connor drew the Warriors back within a goal with 7:18 remaining in the first half, capitalizing on two cards called on KSC. The Owls were the ones to capitalize next on a card as Helen Baxter assisted Devine's fourth goal of the game on a man-up goal with 3:52 remaining. KSC tacked on two more goals before the first half was over as Varricchione assisted Maccarini's first goal of the game with 2:16 remaining and with just a second on the clock before halftime, following a caused turnover by Varricchione, Brown put the Owls ahead 9-5 heading into the half.
 
Kasi DaCruz opened the second half with a save in net for the Warriors on a free position shot from Varricchione, but the Owls increased their scoring streak to five shortly after as Arnold added another point from assisting Smith for a man-up goal and Maccarini scored her second goal of the game with 8:39 remaining in the third for the six-goal lead. The rest of the third quarter, DaCruz saved the only other shot on goal from the Owls, meanwhile Nicotera saved four of the six shots that she faced, holding onto KSC's 11-7 lead heading into the fourth.
 
Nicotera made a save on the first shot that she saw in the fourth quarter, but the Warriors found the back of the net with their next two shots over 29 seconds to pull within two with 11:38 remaining. Following a timeout by KSC, the Owls were unable to clear the ball, resulting in another goal from Page to cut the lead to one. 1:25 later the Warriors scored their sixth goal in a row as they tied the game up at 11 apiece with 8:49 remaining. Despite Brown's next shot hitting the post and DaCruz saving a shot from Maccarini, KSC was able to take the lead with 5:10 remaining as Maccarini assisted Smith for the go-ahead goal for the moment. The lead only lasted 90 seconds as a failed clear on a turnover with a green card resulted in the Warriors scoring a man-up goal with 3:40 left in regulation. ECSU won the ensuing draw control, but Nicotera held strong and made a save, but the Owls once again had trouble clearing the ball after a timeout, resulting in a yellow card on Brown soon after, which Page capitalized on, putting the Warriors ahead with 1:46 remaining. Eastern Connecticut won the ensuing draw control, but the possession did not last long as KSC was able to force a turnover, but the Owls' struggles on clears continued as the Warriors got the ball right back leading to the remainder of the clock being killed and taking down the Owls 13-12.
 
Inside the Crease

• With the loss, KSC falls to 19-21 in the all-time series with the Warriors, having lost the two most recent matchups after winning the previous 10.
• Nicotera made a career-high 17 saves in the contest, while DaCruz made six for ECSU.
• Devine's career-high four goals were the game-high in the contest, while Maccarini recorded a game-high five points from her two goals on just two shots to go with her tied for a game-high three assists.
• Devine also collected a game-high six ground balls, while Brown was close behind with five, while also having two caused turnovers and tied for the game-high with six draw controls.
• Both teams converted on a pair of free position shots apiece, with KSC having four opportunities and ECSU having seven.
• KSC struggled on clears on the day, going 10-for-21 (47.6%), while ECSU went 11-for-13 (84.6%).

 
Up Next


Keene State returns home for their next contest as the Owls host Plymouth State University for Senior Day on Saturday, April 18, at 1:00 PM.
Eastern Connecticut hits the road for their next contest as the Warriors travel to take on the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth on Saturday, April 18, at 11:00 AM.