GORHAM, ME 9/29/01 - Mike Monteiro's (Hudson, MA.) goal, his first tally of the season, with 2:40 left to play, enabled the Keene State men's soccer team to escape with a 3-2 Little East Conference victory over host Southern ME on Saturday.

Keene State improves to 6-3 (2-0 LEC). Southern ME dips to 2-8-1 (0-1-1 LEC). John Harke (Leeds, MA.) sent Monteiro through for the eventual game-winner. The senior captain beat two players in the box to score the go-ahead goal.

The Owls squandered a 2-0 lead in the game. Jason Lombardo (Woburn, MA.) opened the scoring on a nice assist from Jimmy Hogan (Holderness, NH). It was his team-leading sixth goal of the season.

Late in the half Casey Banks (Westborough, MA.) took a pass from Joey Amaio (Wethersfield, CT) and fired a left footed shot into the top corner to make it 2-0.

After Jamie Delong (Troy, NH) pulled down a USM player in the box a couple of minutes into the second half, Joel Bancroft scored on a penalty kick to cut the lead to 2-1. The Huskies tied the game 10 minutes later on a header by Mike Hangee, when Owl goalie Brandon Beck was caught off the line.

Beck did not record a save for KSC. Dan Hill made several spectacular saves in stopping 10 shots for USM.

'It was one of the ugliest games I've ever coached in my life,' said KSC Coach Ron Butcher. 'It was a team we had an opportunity to bury. I think the players thought they were going to win five or six to nothing.'

Keene State returns home to host Babson College on Tuesday (6 p.m.).