KEENE, N.H. 10/16/04- John Harke (Leeds, Mass.) had two goals,
including the game-winner with 18 minutes to play to lead 15th
ranked Keene State College to a 4-3 victory over Eastern Conn.
State University in front of a Parent/Family Weekend crowd of 250
at Owl Athletic Complex on Saturday.
Harke netted the game-winner with a sliding tip of Eric Scott's
(West Springfield, Mass.) crossing ball for his sixth goal of the
season. Jason Lombardo (Woburn, Mass.) also netted a pair of goals
as Keene State (11-2-1, 5-0 LEC) remained on top of the LEC
Standings.
Eastern Conn. jumped out to a 1-0 lead just 1:52 into the game.
Carl Segura (Amherst, Mass.) took a long clearing boot by goalie
Jay Barney (Mansfield, Conn.) and put the ball into the near corner
of the net.
The Owls tied the game at the 24 minute mark of the half when
Harke headed in a crossing ball from Joey Amaio (Wethersfield,
Conn.). KSC took the lead (2-1) when Lombardo tipped in Casey
Bank's (Westborough, Mass.) crossing pass.
The Warriors tied the score on Segura's second goal of the game,
a shot that ricochet off the right post.
Ralph Rocco (Groton, Mass.) had a great chance to give KSC the
lead midway in the second half, but Barney stopped his point-blank
drive.
ECSU took the lead 3-2 when Derek Miles' (Newtown, Conn.)
directed off a KSC player into the net. Keene State knotted the
score two minutes later on Lombardo's second goal of the game, a
sliding deflection of Scott's crossing ball.
Brandon Beck (Johnstown, N.Y.) kept the score tied with a diving
stop of Brian Clark (Patchogue, N.Y.) with 21:15 to play. That set
the stage for Harke's game-winner minutes later. The Warriors had a
chance to tie the score, but Jon Clement's (Vernon, Conn.) header
off a direct kick sailed just wide of the far post with 2:11 to
play. Beck had two saves for KSC while Barney stopped nine shots
for ECSU (3-9-3, 1-3-1 LEC).
Keene State has defeated ECSU in all nine meetings between the
two teams since joining the Little East in 1997. The Owls are at
Western New England on Tuesday (3:30 p.m.).
