MANSFIELD, Conn. 9/26/09- The last time the Eastern Connecticut
State University men's soccer team hosted Keene State College, the
Warriors recorded a penalty-kick shootout win to claim their first
Little East Conference post-season tournament championship.
That was ancient news to Keene State freshmen Joe
Senecal (Manchaug, MA) and Shawn Shand
(Keene, NH), who each scored twice Saturday to lead the Owls to a
4-1 victory. The Keene win is its first away from its home field
this season after three losses, and the loss is Eastern's first
this year at the Mansfield Outdoor Complex after three wins and a
tie.
Keene (5-3-0, 2-0-0 little east) remains undefeated against
Eastern (5-2-1, 1-1 little east) all-time in conference
regular-season play, improving to 10-0-3. Technically, the teams
had tied the last four times they had met, with Eastern's
penalty-kick shootout win in 2007 giving it the LEC crown but
being recorded as a tie.
Keene State Coach Ron Butcher said the
difference in the game was hard work. "I thought we
out-worked and out-muscled them," he said. "We won every
single 50-50 ball."
"It feels great to beat a top-ranked team," said Shand.
"We came out to win."
With the score tied 1-1 early in the second half, Shand scored
his team-leading fourth goal of the season on a 35-yard free kick
that bounced in off the crossbar. Senecal made it 3-1 ten minutes
later with his third goal of the year on his own rebound, and Shand
rounded out the scoring in the 80th minute with his
fifth goal.
Ranked second in New England and 13th nationally,
Eastern trailed throughout the first half but finally gained the
equalizer when sophomore back Aaron Smiles (Bedford, MA) scored his
first career goal after nine career assists. Smiles delivered a
free kick from outside the box into the upper right corner, beyond
the dive of Keene senior keeper Peter Kersker
(Ipswich, MA).
Senecal gave Keene the early momentum and forced the Warriors to
play catch-up the rest of the half when he walked right through the
Eastern box and carried the ball from left to right before sending
a shot into the left corner of the net beyond Eastern sophomore
keeper Carl Appel (West Windsor, NJ).
Kersker stopped 10 of Eastern's 11 shots on net to even his
personal record at 3-3.
Keene State hosts Babson College on Wednesday.
(Courtesy ECSU Sports Information)
