BABSON PARK, MASS. 9/17/08- Keene State College dropped a 1-0
overtime game to Babson College in a non-conference battle between
regional men's soccer powerhouses on Wednesday afternoon.
Babson senior co-captain Tim Winn (Sutton, Mass.) scored the
game-winning goal with 1:50 remaining in the first overtime. as the
Beavers defeated visiting Keene State, 1-0,
"It was a very disheartening loss," said KSC Coach Ron
Butcher. "Hopefully we can bounce back against Southern Maine
on Saturday."
Keene State (2-2-2) had the better of play in the scoreless
first half, outshooting Babson (5-2-0) by a count of 5-2. However,
the Beavers'defensive unit kept the Owls off the
board.
Babson slowly took control of the contest in the second half,
putting constant pressure on Keene State junior goalie
Peter Kersker (Beverly, Mass.) over the final 30
minutes of regulation. The Beavers nearly took the lead when
first-year Alejandro Miro-Sans (Barcelona, Spain) made a move to
get free deep in the box in the 63rd minute, but his
shot hit the left post and was cleared out of the zone. Sophomore
Harrison Heller (Fort Wayne, Ind.) then made a brilliant run
beating three defenders on a breakaway with 17 minutes remaining,
but his bid sailed just wide of the right post. Babson's final
scoring chance of the half came with just over a minute left, but
Kersker made a clean catch on a close-range header by first-year
Billy Nickerson (Middleton, Mass.) to send the game into overtime.
Keene State regained the momentum early in the overtime session,
putting up seven unanswered shots through the first eight minutes
of play. Their best chance came on a rocket from the top of the box
by junior Ross Stanton (Bethleham, N.Y.) just 54
seconds in, but Babson rookie goalie Peter Crowley (Lexington,
Mass.) made the save to keep the game scoreless.
After the Babson defense successfully blocked back-to-back
shots with just over two minutes remaining in the period, Crowley
secured the ball and blasted a towering punt well into the Keene
State zone. Heller then headed the ball upfield and behind the
Owls' defense, where Winn ran it down. Breaking in alone on
Kersker, he tucked a low shot just inside the left post at 98:10
mark.
Kersker, whose older brother Matt enjoyed a standout soccer
career at Babson before graduating in 2003, played well in defeat,
finishing with four saves. Crowley was also stellar in the win for
the Beavers, making two stops to earn his third shutout of the
season.
The Owls fall to 2-2-2 as they await their first LEC game of the
season Saturday against Southern Maine (1 p.m).
(Courtesy Babson Sports Information)
