'PLYMOUTH, N.H. - Keene State College and Plymouth State College battled to a

1-1 tie in double overtime Thursday night in the semifinals of the Little East

Conference Men's Soccer Tournament, but the visiting Owls advance on penalty

kicks, 5-3, at a cold and frozen Panther Field.

The third-seeded Owls, 11-4-3, advance to the LEC championship game this

Saturday (Nov. 9) at top-seeded Western Connecticut.  Second-seeded PSC is now

8-6-3 overall.

The Owls took the lead 17 minutes into game when sophomore Joey Amaio

(Wethersfield, CT) scored off a rebound from PSC keeper Brad Wilby

(Haddonfield, N.J.). The Panthers tied the contest eight minutes later when

junior Nick Libera (Cromwell, CT) scored his first goal of the season,

finishing off a free kick by senior Justin Wengell (Newington, CT). After 90

minutes of regulation and two 10-minute sudden death overtimes, the teams went

to penalty kicks.

KSC senior keeper DJ Nordmark (South Windsor, CT) stopped the first Panther

attempt. Keene State was successful in all five of their tries. The clinching

goal was knocked home by sophomore Jason Lombardo (Woburn, MA.) after

successful efforts by sophomores John Harke (Leeds, MA.) and Casey Banks

(Westborough, MA.) and seniors Mike Monteiro (Fiskdale, MA.) and Dermot

O'Sullivan (Hebron, CT).

Nordmark made three saves in the victory along with the decisive stop in

penalty kicks. Wilby played outstanding in the Panther net, stopping several

shots from point-blank range and finishing with 10 saves, second most in a game

in his career.