'SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (September 6, 2006) -  Sophomore forward Alex Horne's (Harvard, Mass.)goal early in the second half lifted Keene State College to a 2-1 non-conference men's soccer victory over Springfield College on Wednesday. 

The Owls, who improve to 3-0, are currently ranked 17th in the nation by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA). KSC came out of the gates strong, dominating possession throughout the first half. KSC took the 1-0 advantage at the 22:05 mark when senior midfielder Eric Scott (West Springfield, Mass.) netted the first goal of the match. Less than 10 minutes later (31:38), the Pride retaliated with Adrian Schippers' first half goal assisted by junior Henry Ruggiero (Stow, Mass.).

Keene State quickly broke the tie when Horne headed in the Owl's second goal of the match off a pass from classmate Ryan Farnsworth (Merrimack, N.H.).

Both teams had multiple second half opportunities, but neither found the back of the net during a physical match, with a combined 29 fouls. Keene State held an 18-6 advantage in shots and a 7-2 edge in shots on goal. With the loss, the Pride drops to an overall mark of 0-2-1.

"We'll take the win, but it wasn't one of our better performances, " said KSC Coach Ron Butcher.  "We need to step it up against Wheaton on Saturday."

Owls' sophomore keeper Peter Kersker (Beverly, Mass.) tallied one save and allowed only a single goal in 90 minutes. Kersker has recorded all two wins for the Owls.

B. J. Sturdivant (Bear, Del.), a junior goalkeeper for the Pride, had a strong second-half performance, recording all five of his saves to hold the Owls to just two goals. 

Keene Stae returns home to face Wheaton College in a key regional game on Saturday (1 p.m.) Springfield College travels to Plattsburgh, N.Y., this weekend to compete in the Cardinal Classic. The Pride will meet Lasell College in the first round of the tournament on Saturday.