WILLIMANTIC, Conn. – Senior
Maddie Hunt (Littleton, Mass.) scored six goals, while two other Panthers posted six-point games to lead Plymouth State University to a 21-14 win over Eastern Connecticut State University in a Little East Conference (LEC) women's lacrosse matchup at Rick McCarthy Field on Saturday.
The Warriors opened the game with three straight goals and held a 5-1 advantage late in the first quarter. Senior
Julia Donovan (Antrim, N.H.) and Hunt each scored around another Eastern Connecticut tally, making it 6-3 after one quarter of play.
Plymouth State flipped the script in a dominant second quarter. Graduate student
Elle Moshier (Stratford, Conn.) got things going, and after a Warriors' goal, PSU scored five straight times to take a 9-7 lead into halftime.
The teams played evenly in the third quarter before Plymouth State pulled away with eight fourth-quarter goals to stay unbeaten in league play.
Plymouth State improves to 12-2 (6-0 LEC), while the Warriors fall to 11-4 (3-3 LEC).
The Basics:
- Plymouth State 21, Eastern Connecticut 14
- Plymouth State (12-2, 6-0 LEC)
- Eastern Connecticut (11-4, 3-3 LEC)
How it Happened:
- Eastern Connecticut jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first four minutes before Hunt got PSU on the board.
- The Warriors added two more goals to build a 5-1 cushion. Donovan responded with two minutes left in the quarter, but ECSU struck back a minute later. Hunt closed the frame with a goal off a feed from junior Morgan Cunningham (Wrentham, Mass.) with just four seconds remaining, cutting the deficit to 6-3.
- Moshier scored while PSU was a player down, though ECSU answered to make it 7-4 midway through the second. From there, Plymouth State took control. A goal from sophomore Sammy Murphy (Harrisville, R.I.) sparked a 6-0 run that extended into the third quarter.
- Donovan scored twice during the stretch, with Hunt and Murphy also contributing as PSU built a 9-7 halftime lead.
- Donovan added another to close the surge in the third.
- ECUS responded with a 4-1 run to tie the game at 11-11, with Hunt tallying PSU's lone goal during the stretch.
- Graduate student Megan Gaspa (Laconia, N.H.) scored back-to-back goals to end the third with a 13-11 lead.
- After ECSU pulled within one early in the fourth (13-12), Cunningham responded with two clutch goals to rebuild the cushion.
- Although the Warriors momentarily slowed the momentum, four different Panthers scored over the next three minutes to push the lead to 19-13.
- Gaspa and Hunt tacked on late goals to seal the win.
By the Numbers:
- Hunt recorded six goals, two ground balls, two draw controls, and a caused turnover.
- Donovan and Cunningham each had six-point games. Donovan finished with four goals and two assists; Cunningham had three goals and three assists.
- Murphy and Gaspa both added three goals and an assist.
- Moshier scored twice and added an assist.
- Senior Jenna Stowell (Londonderry, N.H.) tallied two assists and dominated the circle with 12 draw controls, continuing to extend her career record.
- Junior Katie Moore (Salem, N.H.) led the team with three ground balls.
- The Warriors held an edge in shots on goal (28-26), but senior Margie Black (Longmeadow, Mass.) made 16 saves to earn the win.
Up Next:
- Plymouth State closes out the regular season with a pair of home conference games next week, starting with a matchup against Keene State on Wednesday (Apr. 23) at 4:00 p.m. A win would guarantee at least a share of the regular season title and the top seed for the LEC Tournament.
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