Eastern Connecticut State dominated the St. Joseph’s University Long Island Golden Eagles 5-1 in a non-conference women’s soccer matchup Tuesday afternoon at John A. Danzi Stadium in Patchogue, N.Y. The Warriors jumped on the home side early and never looked back, improving to 1-0-0 while St. Joseph’s fell to 0-1-0 in its season opener.
Emily McKelvey led the attack with a pair of first-half goals, striking in the 7th minute off an assist from Arianna Tomassi and again in the 34th minute with help from Jordan Fabry. Alana Burnell added an unassisted tally in the 10th minute, and Anna Loveless finished another Fabry feed in the 42nd minute to give Eastern a commanding 4-0 lead at the break. St. Joseph’s finally broke through late when Julia Dunne scored in the 84th minute, but Faith Corona answered in the final minute to seal the result. The Warriors controlled possession and territory throughout, outshooting the Golden Eagles 17-4 (9-4 on goal) and earning an 8-0 edge in corner kicks. Goalkeeper Kristin Vahle made four saves for St. Joseph’s in a full 90 minutes, while Eastern’s Alex Ignatowicz and Kaeden Dublin combined for three stops.
The one-sided affair highlighted Eastern’s depth and clinical finishing in the attacking third, as five different players found the scoresheet. St. Joseph’s generated limited chances and will look to regroup quickly ahead of its next home contest. The Golden Eagles host Yeshiva on Friday in their Skyline Conference opener.