'WILLIMANTIC. CONN. 4/22/06 - The Keene State College men's lacrosse team saw its hopes for a second straight Little East regular season championship and home field advantage in a potential tournament final game take a serious blow with a tough 8-7 loss to Eastern Conn. State University Thomas Nevers Field on Saturday.

Kyle MacDonald (Hamden, Conn.) scored the game-winning goal with 38 seconds to play for the Warriors (9-3, 5-0 LEC) who move into first place in the LEC.

The Owls (9-2, 4-1 LEC) took a 4-1 lead after the first quarter, but ECSU scored three unanswered goals in the second quarter to make it a 4-4 game at the half.  The Warriors held a slim 6-5 lead after three quarters.

In the fourth quarter, KSC's Sean Panora (South Windsor Conn.) tied the game 6-6 with a man-up goal at the 10:34 mark.  After Tyler Prescott (Norwalk, Conn.) put the Warriors back on top, Tony Santa Fe (Derry, N.H.) knotted the score once again (7-7) with his second goal of the game with just over six minutes to go.  The scored remained tied until MacDonald's game-winner in the closing seconds.

Santa Fe and Panora finished with two goals each for KSC.  Taylor Morasutti (Cheshire, Conn.), Easton Kezer (Derry, N.H.) and Casey Brodersen (Derry, N.H.) also scored for the Owls.

Matt Johnson (Derry, N.H.) had a career high 21 saves in goal for the Owls.

Kyle Savage (Southington, Conn.) made 10 saves for ECSU.

The loss snapped KSC's 12 game conference winning streak. KSC defeated ECSU in last year's LEC championship game.

The Owls conclude their regular season next Saturday when they host Southern Maine (1 p.m.).