DANBURY, CT - Freshman Kaleigh Panek (Shelton, CT) and junior Bailey McCollum (Cold Springs, NY) each scored their fourth and third goals of the season, respectively and the Western Connecticut State University women's soccer team went on to blank intra-state rival Eastern Connecticut State University, 2-0 at the Westside Athletic Complex on Wednesday afternoon.

The Colonials, now 3-6 overall and 2-1 in the Little East Conference, stopped a two-game slide and recorded their first clean sheet of the season.

Sophomore netminder Alexis Lainchbury (Hopewell Junction, NY) made eight saves on the afternoon for the winners.

After a scoreless first half, WestConn finally got on the scoreboard in the 59th minute when Panek stole the ball away from a Warrior defender in the six-yard box and quickly deposited it into the back of the net.

Less than two minutes later, at the 60:29 mark, McCollum bent her free kick, from outside the left hand side of the 18-yard box, over the head of Eastern keeper Kayla Labrecque (Westhampton, MA) and into the back left corner of the goal.

Labrecque went on to make eight saves for the Warriors.

"This was a great bounce-back performance by a team that was admittedly struggling lately," said WestConn head coach Alex Harrison.  "We kept the pressure on for 90 minutes and were able to get some good chances at goal."

The Colonials and Warriors were crowned co-regular-season champions a year ago.  WestConn has captured the LEC Tournament crown in each of the last three seasons and 10 times overall since the league formed 22 years ago.  Eastern has won or shared eight regular-season titles and took home the tournament championship on four occasions.

WestConn starts a five-game road trip this Saturday, September 29 when it travels to University of Southern Maine.  Game time against the Huskies in Gorham, ME is set for 12 bells.