KEENE, N.H. 11/4/04 - The Keene State College men's soccer team will face Rhode Island College for the Little East Conference championship on Saturday in a 2:30 p.m. game at Owl Athletic Complex.

The top-seeded Owls (15-3-1), who come into the game ranked ninth in the country and first in the New England region, will be looking for their fourth LEC title in the past six years. Longtime KSC Coach Ron Butcher knows there will be no championship or NCAA berth for the Owls if his team doesn't play better than they did in Wednesday's 2-0 semifinal win over fourth-seed Eastern Conn.

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

Rhode Island College, the tournament's second seed, will be making its first appearance in the finals. The Anchormen (11-7-2) advanced with a 3-1 victory over fourth-seed Plymouth State. In that game, junior forward Kyle Teixeira set an RIC record with 21st goal of the season.

Earlier this season, KSC handled RIC 4-1. "It won't be a 4-1 game," Butcher warned. "We have to find Teixeira early and shut him down."

Pleased with the play of his defense, anchored by Jimmy Hogan (Holderness, N.H.), Butcher feels his forwards must attack the RIC backs. While Jason Lombardo (Woburn, Mass.; 12-6-30) has been hampered with an injury, Casey Banks (Westborough, Mass.;13-6-32) continued his strong senior season with a goal against the Warriors. A pair of freshmen also rose to the occasion against ECSU, with Ralph Rocco (Groton, Mass.) scoring the game-winner and Pelse Mesa (Manchester, N.H.) providing the team with a boost off the bench.

"It's the finals and I expect everyone to come out ready to play," Butcher said. "We're not going to get it done without a total team effort."