WILLIMANTIC, Conn. – No. 5 Vermont State University Castleton women's soccer defeated No. 4 Eastern Connecticut in double overtime 1-0 to advance to the Little East Conference Tournament's semi-final.
 
An own goal in the 107th minute from Eastern Connecticut ended Tuesday's match in Castleton's favor. Emma Ezzo highlighted the victory with a 10-save shutout performance, including five huge stops in overtime to keep the Spartans level.
 
Castleton brought the energy and found themselves with a scoring opportunity in the 2nd minute of play, as Rylee Pepin sent a long ball to Maggie McKearin who tried to place a shot over first-year keeper Alex Ignatowicz but was deemed unsuccessful.
 
The first half was primarily a battle between Eastern Connecticut's offense and Castelton's defense. The Warriors outshot Castleton 10-3 (4-2 on target) as they controlled much of the first half in Castleton's defensive third. Kristina O'Neil and Gwen Bridges kept Castleton's defense composed and in line to limit the Warriors' attacking threat.
 
Eastern Connecticut had their chances to take a lead in the first half. Lilly Simpson tried a shot from deep that caused Ezzo to react and lay out for the ball in the 17th minute. A few minutes later, Sara Honold rifled a shot that just went wide of the net. In the 24th minute, the Warriors won a free kick and tested Ezzo with a shot directly towards the net that she tracked down made the save to keep the score level after one half of play.
 
The two sides battled in an even-sided second half. With a lot of physical play, both teams struggled offensively to find the go-ahead goal. The best chance was Eastern Connecticut's Lauren Weaver who found a loose ball in the 18-yard box and blasted a shot that hit the crossbar.
 
After 90 minutes of play, neither team could find a winner, and the game was sent to overtime. Eastern Connecticut tried to put the game away, but Ezzo continued to shine in the extra minutes with three huge saves to keep the Warriors scoreless.
 
A second overtime was needed to decide the outcome of this gauntlet of a match. The Warriors continued to keep the pressure on but the relentless defensive efforts from Castleton and Ezzo in net made it frustrating for Eastern Connecticut to find an answer.
 
With four minutes left in the second overtime, Pepin played a cross towards McKearin but was intercepted by the Warriors defender. In an attempt to clear the ball away, the defender miss hit the incoming cross and redirected it into the back of the net for an own goal to seal their fate and give the Spartans the 1-0 victory.
 
VTSU Castleton will travel to Gorham, Maine on Thursday, November 7 for a 6:30 p.m. kickoff against No. 1 Southern Maine.