KEENE, N.H. 11/07/09 - Looking to grab their sixth consecutive Little East Conference Championship, the Keene State College field hockey team fell to the UMass-Dartmouth Corsairs on an overtime goal from freshman forward Erica Allan (Amherst, Mass.) to give the Corsairs the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament and their first Little East Conference Tournament Championship.

The Corsairs avenge a 3-2 loss to the Owls back on October 31st and a loss to the Owls in the 2006 Little East Conference Championship game.

Keene State (18-5) stormed out to an early advantage, just over a minute and a half into the game on their first penalty corner of the game. Senior forward Carly Benning (Brewster, Mass.) took a pass from senior sweeper Erin Dallas (Marlow, N.H.) to tally her 27th goal of the season.

After back and forth action, UMass-Dartmouth (15-4) grabbed the equalizer on their fifth penalty corner of the game, when freshman defender Taryn Cardiel (Moorpark, California) rocketed a shot from senior midfielder Kylie Treat (Hampstead, N.H.) at the 22:45 mark.

In the second half, the Corsairs took the lead for the first time when junior defender Becca Festinger (Greenfield, Mass.) took a shot from inside the circle to beat Owl goalie Vikki Stoessel (Derry, N.H.) just over eight and a half minutes into the second half.

UMass looked to add to their lead again at the 53:26 mark when Dallas made a great defensive save on a shot by Corsair freshman forward Eleanor Taylor (Fairhaven, Mass.) to keep the Owls down just 2-1 for her 12th stop of the season.

Five minutes later Keene State nodded the game at two apiece when Dallas took a pass from Benning off a penalty corner to beat Corsair netminder Seana Golden (Somerset, Mass.) for her second goal of the season to force overtime.

In the extra period, Allan deflected a shot over the head of Stoessel that clanged off the crossbar to keep the game alive. After two Keene State fouls in the circle, Allan finally capitalized and netted her seventh goal of the season to push the Corsairs into the NCAA Tournament and end KSC's streak.

Stoessel set aside 10 shots in the loss, while Golden made eight stops for her 15th victory of the season.

KSC will await a possible ECAC Tournament berth, a tournament they won in their last appearance in 2003.