KEENE, N.H. 11/3/04 - Freshman Ralph Rocco's (Groton, Mass.) first college goal was the game-winner as the top-seeded Keene State College men's soccer team posted a 2-0 semifinal round victory over fourth seed Eastern Connecticut State University in a semifinal game of the Little East Conference Tournament.

Ranked ninth in the country and first in the New England region, Keene State (15-3-1) advances to the LEC Championship game on Saturday, when they will face second-seed Rhode Island College. RIC (11-7-2) gained a berth in the finals with a 3-1 win over third-seed Plymouth State in the other semifinal contest.

After a scoreless first half, Rocco finally got the Owls on the board at the 64:11 mark of the second half. Standing to the left of the net, he knocked in John Harke's (Leeds, Mass.) corner kick.

"I've been a little unlucky, so it was nice to put one in the back of the net," said Rocco. Harke served a great ball across and I was in the right spot at the right time."

"I didn't think I got an honest effort from my team tonight," said KSC Coach Ron Butcher. "If we play like this on Saturday, we'll have no chance."

KSC goalie Brandon Beck (Johnstown, N.Y) kept the Warriors off the scoreboard with his diving save off Nick Rezendes' (Newington, Conn.) close-range shot with 9:25 to play. Dominating play, KSC had a 18-4 shot advantage in the game.

Casey Bank (Westborough, Mass.) scored an insurance goal for KSC with 1:04 to play. He dribbled down the right side and buried a shot into the far corner for his team- leading 13th goal of the season.

Beck stopped three shots to record his fifth shutout of the season while Jay Barney (Mansfield, Conn.) finished with four saves for ECSU, which completes its season with a 6-11-3 mark.

Keene State has defeated the Warriors in all 11 meetings since joining the LEC in the 1997 season.