'ROCHESTER, N.Y. 8/29/03 - Junior Casey Banks (Westborough, Mass.) netted three goals to lead the Keene State College men's soccer team to a 6-2 opening-season victory over Westminster (Pa.) College in a first-round game of the Rochester Institute of Technology Tournament on Friday.

Keene State advances to the championship game on Saturday (5:30 p.m.). They will play the winner of the RIT/Scranton game.

John Harke (Leeds, Mass.) opened the scoring for KSC with a goal just 59 seconds into the game.  Joey Amaio (Wethersfield, Conn.) made it 2-0 four minutes later when he converted a through ball from Jason Lombardo (Woburn, Mass.)

Westminster, an NCAA Tournament team last season that lost eight seniors, came back to knot the score at 2-2. Their first goal came on a penalty shot by Todd Fisher after he was taken down in the box by Brendan Flynn (Dunbarton, N.H.) 

Banks gave KSC a 4-2 half time lead when he clanged the ball in off the cross bar and later finished off a pass from Lombardo.

Freshman Nick Trottier (White River Junction, Vt.) scored his first college goal and Banks completed his hattrick when he chipped the ball  over the goalies head.

"It was like a scrimmage for us, " said KSC Coach Ron Butcher.  "But once we got our feet on the ground we took over the game."

Butcher was particularly pleased with the play of his freshman starters midfielder Erik Scott of West Springfield, Mass., and Trottier.  "They're going to be exciting players for us this season," he said. 

Returning to action after spending last season abroad, goalie Brandon Beck (Johnstown, N.Y.) finished the game with six saves for the Owls.