MANSFIELD, Conn. – Junior
Emily Santom (Litchfield, N.H.) and sophomore
Tarryn O'Brien (Weymouth, Mass.) combined for five first half goals and Plymouth State University coasted in the second half to top Eastern Connecticut State University, 16-10, in a Little East Conference women's lacrosse game at Rick McCarthy Field on Saturday.
Santom notched her second of the day to spark a four-goal spurt as PSU ran out to a 5-2 lead by the end of the first quarter. The teams traded goals to start the second, but Plymouth State used five-straight, including three from O'Brien, to extend the lead to 11-3.
The Panthers pushed the margin to 14-5 early in the third quarter and held off the Warriors late to cap the regular season with a win.
Plymouth State (12-4, 6-1 LEC) will be the second seed for next week's LEC Tournament. The Panthers host the winner of No. 3 Keene State and No. 6 UMass Dartmouth in a semifinal round game on Thursday (May 5) at 4:00 p.m.
Eastern Connecticut ends the regular season at 8-7 (3-4 LEC) and will be the fifth seed for the tournament.
The Basics:
- Plymouth State 16, Eastern Connecticut 10
- Plymouth State (12-4, 6-1 LEC)
- Eastern Connecticut (8-7, 3-4 LEC)
Top Performers:
How it Happened:
- Santom converted a feed from junior Olivia Croke (Norwell, Mass.) to open the scoring at the 11:38 mark of the first, but the Warriors answered 1:27 later to tie the game.
- Santom buried her 50th of the year to regain the lead and spark a 4-0 run.
- Eastern Connecticut snuck in a goal in the final minute of the quarter to cut the deficit to 5-2.
- Freshman Julia Donovan (Antrim, N.H.) scored early in the second and the score remained 6-2 for the next seven minutes.
- The hosts made it a three-goal game midway through the period, but junior Julia Mahoney (Stratford, Conn.) answered, and O'Brien scored all three of her goals over the next three minutes as the lead swelled to 11-3. ECSU added a late score just before the quarter expired.
- Freshman Maddie Hunt (Littleton, Mass.) scored back-to-back goals to start the second half and Santom made it 14-5 with 9:28 left in the third.
- Eastern Connecticut tried to rally, scoring five of the final seven goals, but the Panthers' lead was too big to overcome.
By the Numbers:
- Santom finished with four goals and three assists and has 17 points over her last two games.
- O'Brien and Hunt each chipped in three goals, while senior Devon Mello (Laconia, N.H.) scored twice.
- Croke finished with a goal and two assists.
- Mahoney pulled in a game-high eight draw controls and added three ground balls, while junior Autumn Nelson (Weare, N.H.) added three ground balls, two caused turnovers and a pair of draw controls.
- Sophomore Piper Sherbert (Freeport, Maine) made seven saves to pick up the win.
- PSU went 16-of-19 on clear attempts and won 17-of-29 draw controls.
Up Next:
- The second-seeded Panthers host the winner of third-seeded Keene State and sixth-seeded UMass Dartmouth in the semifinals of the LEC Tournament on Thursday (May 5). Opening draw is set for 4:00 p.m.
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