NORTON, MA- The Keene State men's soccer team dropped a 2-0 non-conference game to regional ranked (No.6) Wheaton College on rain soaked Keefe Field in Norton, Mass. on Saturday.  Double overtime was avoided for the first time in four years between the two teams

junior Yuri Moreira (Marlboro, MA/Northfield Mount Hermon School) scored twice for the second consecutive game in leading the Lyons to the win.  

Holding a slim 6-5-2 series advantage, Wheaton stayed unbeaten at 4-0-1.  The Owls slipped below .500 with a 2-3 mark.  

Moreira upped his team lead to six goals with unassisted tallies in the 31st and 81st minutes. Junior keeper Cole Davidson (Needham, MA/Salisbury School) collected four saves in posting his second shutout of the fall.
 
Keene senior Peter Kersker (Ipswich, MA/Ipswich) recorded all six of his saves in the opening half, as the Lyons held a 13-5 shot advantage while taking eight of the stanza's 13 corner kicks.  The Owls posted a team save in the second half to finish the game with seven stops.  All told, the hosts outshot Keene State, 19-9, with a 9-6 edge in corners.
 
The play leading up to Moreira's game-winner started in the middle of the field, where he stole the ball from the defense, carried into open space and rifled a shot past Kersker and into the middle netting.  His second tally transpired on a restart following a carded foul on the left side of the field.  Moreira ripped his shot from 30 yards out into the lower left corner of the net.

"I thought we played better in the second half when I put some of the freshmen into the game," said KSC Coach Ron Butcher, who 's still looking for the right chemistry in his line-up.
 
Keene State has the week off to prepare for rival Plymouth State who it hosts next Saturday at Owl Athletic Complex.

(Portions of the story courtesy of Wheaton College sports information)