MANSFIELD, Conn. -- Stephanie Barry (Pembroke, MA) knocked in the only goal of the match in a scramble in front of the cage in the 82nd minute of play to lift the Bridgewater State College field hockey team to a 1-0 sudden death overtime victory over Eastern Connecticut State University in Little East Conference action Saturday afternoon.
Bridgewater (2-4, 1-1 little east) snaps a three-game losing streak with the victory that sends Eastern (1-4, 0-2 little east) to its fourth straight shutout loss after an opening shutout victory.
The teams, which had combined for only eight goals all season, played through 70 scoreless minutes of regulation. With 11:24 gone in sudden death, Barry finally connected with a goal on her seventh shot of the match. Barry finished off a shot from in close by Bethany Bush (Littletown, MA), with Barry knocking it inside the post past Eastern junior goalie Tia Mucciarone (Franklin, MA).
Bridgewater, last year's ECAC New England champion, had a number of overtime opportunites before Barry recorded the game-ending goal - her first goal of the season. In a two-minute span in the OT session, Bridgewater forced Mucciarone to kick out four shots, two coming off the stick of reserve Shephanie Lannon (Swampscott, MA).
Mucciarone, coming off a 13-save effort against No. 16 ranked Babson Thursday night, kicked out a penalty stroke by Kelly Downs (Hanover, MA) with 24:55 left in regulation that kept the match scoreless to that point.
Mucciarone finished with nine saves on thw day, while BSC netminder Katie Weber (Arlington, MA) turned aside four shots.
Eastern hosts Connecticut College Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. Bridgewater plays at home for the first time this season as the Bears host Salve Regina University on Thursday at 4.