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Saturday, Nov. 8, 2008
EASTERN W-SOCCER STRIKES FIRST, BUT FALLS IN LEC FINAL
Western wins third straight title, repeats 2-1 championship win over Warriors
DANBURY, Conn. – Eastern Connecticut State University scored first, but Western Connecticut State University re-grouped to tie the match late in the first half, and scored the tie-breaking goal with nine minutes left on the way to a 2-1 win in the championship game of the 2008 Little East Conference women’s soccer playoffs Saturday night at the Westside Athletic Complex.
At left: Kim Church made a career-high 13 saves in Eastern's 2-1 championship game loss at Western Connecticut Saturday night.
The title is the third straight and sixth in the ten-year history of the championship for Western (15-3-2), which qualifies automatically for the NCAA Division III tournament. The Colonials advanced to the national semifinals a year ago after beating Eastern (11-5-1) by the same score at the same location in last year’s LEC final. Eastern won titles in 2003 and 2005.
Neither of the conference’s top-ranked defensive teams allowed a goal through the first 25 minutes Saturday, but the Warriors broke the deadlock with 19 minutes left in the first half when senior forward Meghan Ryczek (East Haddam) scored her tenth goal of the season on the rebound of her own shot that was blocked by a Western defender. Minutes later, Eastern junior forward Sarah Swann (Oxford) was tripped up while carrying the ball in the box. A penalty kick was deemed necessary, and six minutes later, Western junior midfielder Nicole Sieber pulled the Colonials even when she unloaded a booming 30-yarder into the upper right-hand corner of the cage.
Western owned the second half of play, unloading six shots in the first 12 minutes of the half and compiling a 15-1 advantage in the half. Western senior midfielder Amy Corchard threatened twice to break the deadlock in the opening minutes. The first bid was broken up by Eastern junior defender Christine Lemieux (South Windsor), the second by junior keeper Kim Church (Farmington), who pulled in a hard shot that was partially deflected.
With nine minutes left, Western filed away its 12th home win in 13 matches (the loss coming to No.1 nationally-ranked Williams College) when freshman forward Jillian Duran scored her fourth goal of the season on junior forward Kelli Veras’s feed from the end line. Veras beat an Eastern defender to the end line and centered a pass to an unmarked Duran.
Church finished with a career-high 13 saves in her first LEC title game start and appearance. Averaging only four saves per match this year, Church was called upon to make five through the first half of the first half to keep the match scoreless. Church made two saves in succession midway through the first half, the second robbing All-America senior forward Catherine Nathans of a rebound goal. Church took another one away from Nathans later in the half and the Warriors also dodged a bullet when sophomore forward Lauren Matthews missed wide with a wide-open try at the far post.
Eastern’s top scoring trio of Ryczek, classmate Nicole Gaudette (Colchester) and Swann were limited to a total of four shots.
Ryczek and Gaudette ended their careers sharing this year’s team lead with ten goals each. Gaudette totaled a team-high seven assists and 27 points and Ryczek finished with 25 points. Ryczek had managed only six goals in her first three seasons.
Second-seeded Eastern and top-seeded Western had shared the conference regular-season title with 6-0-1 records after playing to a 1-1 overtime draw Oct. 13 at Willimantic. Tie-breakers awarded Western the home field advantage. Eastern had blanked third-seeded Keene State College, 2-0, and Western routed fourth-seeded UMass Boston, 4-0, in Thursday’s semifinals.
Eastern totalled double-digit wins for the eighth straight season under ninth-year head coach Chrisi D'Ambrosio and was making its fifth appearance in the final in the past six years.
Western Conn. 2, Eastern Conn. 1
Eastern Conn. (11-5-1) 1 0 -- 1
Western Conn. (15-3-2) 1 1 -- 2
Scoring: E-Meghan Ryczek 25:25; W-Nicole Sieber (Catherine Nathans) 32:51; W-Jillian Duran (Kelli Veras) 81:02.
Shots: E-7, W-26; Saves: E-Kim Church 13, W-Shannon Cawley 1. Corner kicks: E-2, W-5.
Eastern advances to LEC W-Soccer title game (Nov. 6, 2008)
Eastern W-Soccer shares third Little East Championship (Nov. 1, 2008)
Eastern W-Soccer maintains share of first in LEC (Oct. 25, 2008)
EASTERN CAN'T CASH IN, DROPS 3-0 DECISION TO TRINITY COLLEGE (Oct.22,2008)
EASTERN W-SOCCER ROLLS PAST SOUTHERN MAINE, 5-0 (Oct.18, 2008)
AMHERST HAS ENOUGH TO TURN BACK EASTERN W-SOCCER (Oct.16, 2008)
BATTLE OF UNBEATEN LEC W- SOCCER TEAMS ENDS IN DRAW (Oct.13, 2008)
Eastern W-Soccer Rallies Past UMass Boston, 3-2 (Oct. 11, 2008)
Ryczek's Game-Winner Lifts Eastern W-Soccer Over Keene (Oct. 4, 2008)
For Conn, One Goal is Gold as Eastern W-Soccer Falls (Oct. 1, 2008)
Gaudette, Church Lift Eastern W-Soccer in LEC, 1-0 (Sept. 20, 2008)
Eastern's D'Ambrosio Nets 100th W-Soccer Coaching Victory (Sept. 14, 2008)
Eastern W-Soccer Extends Home Streak With 4-2 Win (Sept. 13, 2008)
Second-Half Goals Sink Eastern W-Soccer, 2-0 (Sept. 6, 2008)
Easern W-Soccer Blanks Manhatanville in Opener (Sept. 2, 2008)
Warriors Edge Keene for Second in LEC Pre-Season Poll (Sept. 1, 2008)
For W-Soccer, Season Ends in Little East Title Match (Nov. 3, 2007)
