DANBURY, Conn. – Freshman forward Jillian Duran (Uncasville, Conn.) scored the game-winning goal with 8:57 remaining to lift Western Connecticut State University to a 2-1 victory over Eastern Connecticut State University in the 2008 Little East Conference Women’s Soccer Championship at the Westside Athletic Complex Saturday night.

Duran’s goal was her third marker of the Tournament, after netting a pair of goals in WestConn’s 4-0 victory over UMass Boston in the semifinals on Thursday night. The game-winner came after Kelli Varas (Trumbull, Conn.) maneuvered across the baseline and led Duran into the box for her fourth goal of the season.

Amanda Genova (New Milford, Conn.), a junior back out of nearby Immaculate High School, was named the Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player after heading a defense that allowed just three goals through the Little East regular season and two tournament contests.

The Colonials, 15-3-2, captured their sixth conference crown and third in a row dating back to 1999, their first year in the Little East. Along with this crown comes an automatic berth in the NCAA Division III Women’s Soccer Championship which begin on Thursday, November 13. Pairings and first and second-round sites for the NCAAs will be determined late on Sunday.

Eastern Connecticut got on the scoreboard first, when Meghan Ryczek (East Haddam, Conn.) tallied her team-leading 10th goal of the season. The unassisted goal, in the 26th minute, was a follow-up from a deflection of her first shot of the night that caromed off WestConn goalie Shannon Cawley (Willimantic, Conn.).

Seven minutes later, WestConn midfielder Nicole Sieber (Newtown, Conn.) registered her sixth goal of the season off a feed from Catherine Nathans (New Fairfield, Conn.).

Although WestConn had several good opportunities in the second half, the two teams would remain deadlocked for nearly 50 minutes before Duran’s heroics in the 82nd minute of play.

The Colonials, which shared the regular-season title with the Warriors, dominated the offensive end, out-shooting the visitors, 26-7 on the night.

Cawley was called upon to make one save for WestConn while Eastern Connecticut’s Kim Church (Farmington, Conn.) turned away 13 shot in the loss.

The Warriors, winners of the LEC Tournament title in 2003 and 2005, have been runners up three times since 1999, including the past two campaigns to the Colonials.

GAME RECAP
Eastern Connecticut (11-5-1) vs. Western Connecticut (15-3-2)
Attendance: 200 Weather: on and off rain, with fog

Goals by period 1 2 Tot
Eastern Connecticut 1 0 1
Western Connecticut 1 1 2

SCORING SUMMARY:

1 25:25 ECSUWS Meghan Ryczek (10) (unassisted)
2 32:51 WCSUWS Nicole Sieber (6) (Catherine Nathans)
3 81:02 WCSUWS Jillian Duran (4) (Kelli Veras)

Shots: Eastern Connecticut 7, Western Connecticut 26
Saves: Eastern Connecticut 13 (Kim Church 13), Western Connecticut 1(Shannon Cawley 1)