PROVIDENCE, R.I. 10/15/11 - Keene State senior defender Kevin Gomes (Halifax, MA) ripped a penalty kick past RIC senior goalkeeper Nick Clark (East Bridgewater, MA) in the 65th minute to help lead the Owls to a 2-0 victory over Rhode Island College in Little East Conference men's soccer action on Saturday at the RIC Soccer Field.

"This win gives us a chance to get into the final four of the Little East tournament, said KSC Coach Ron Butcher.  "We're banged up and have been playing with our back against the wall, but we were able to walk off the field with a big conference victory today."

Keene State (7-6-1, 3-2 LEC) and RIC (7-7, 3-2 LEC) immediately opened the game with a physical, defensive-minded brand of play. Neither team had too many promising scoring opportunities, despite the fact that the Anchormen outshot the Owls, 10-3, through the first 45 minutes.

The second half opened up in a similar fashion before the offensive intensity picked up with under 30 minutes left to play.

Keene State lined up for a corner kick in the 65th minute and freshman midfielder Brett Sullivan (Barrington, RI) found junior midfielder Danny Silverman (Maynard, MA) in the box, but Clark rejected Silverman's shot. With Clark down and out after making the point blank stop, sophomore midfielder Preston Ingram (Newport, VT) pounced on the loose ball and had a wide open net in front of him, but had his shot attempt blocked by RIC junior midfielder Donald Dane (Derry, NH). However, Dane stopped the shot with his arm and was called for a hand ball in the box, which resulted in a red card and a penalty kick for the Owls.

That set the stage for Gomes who beat Clark for what proved to be the eventual game-winning goal and his first of the 2011 campaign. Clark was previously 2-for-2 on penalty kicks this season

Keene State immediately took advantage of RIC being a man down, getting on the board once again in the 68th minute when Sullivan found Ingram in the box for the header to give the visitors a 2-0 lead. It was also Ingram's first of the year.

Despite playing a man down, the Anchormen had a handful of chances in the final minutes of the game thanks to their relentless offensive attack. Keene State sophomore netminder Malcom Cheney (Hopkinton, MA) made a spectacular save on a sophomore midfielder Ignacio Cespedes (Fitchburg, MA) breakaway in the 78th minute, which was followed by another great save in the 82nd minute on RIC freshman defender Patrick LaRoche (Gardner, MA).

With their backs against the wall, the Anchormen made one last ditch effort in the waning minutes to get on the board. After junior defender Tucker Shepard (Tiverton, RI) laced a corner kick towards the box, Cespedes lined up for the clean header, only to have his shot saved by a Keene State defender.

Cheney (6-3) was phenomenal in net for the Owls, making 11 saves in the shutout. Clark (7-6) made five saves in the loss for RIC.

In upcoming action, KSC hits the road to face Framingham State at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon.

(Courtesy RIC Sports Information)