KEENE, N.H. 9/10/11 – Senior Elizabeth Coffin (Sugar Hill, N.H.) scored two goals to lead the Keene State College field hockey team to a 6-0 Little East Conference shutout victory over Bridgewater State at Owl Athletic Complex on Saturday. 

The Owls (2-0), who have scored 15 goals in their first two games, have opened the season with consecutive shutouts. Bridgewater State falls to 0-2 (0-1 LEC).

Keene State, which dominated play from the start, went up 2-0 at the half.  "We've been practicing the entire week and were itching to play a game," said Coffin.  "It was our home opener and we wanted to come out real strong."  The Owls did just that. Coffin's fist goal came at the 9:12 mark when she took a long 30-yard pass from sophomore Katlyn Simula (Bridgewater, N.H.) and tipped the ball past Bear junior goalie Cassie Johansen (Port Jefferson Station, N.Y.). "Their defense backed off thinking it was going to go out and I just stepped and I was able to get my stick on it," said Coffin.

Simular finished the game with a couple of assists for the Owls.

Sophomore Leddy Gallagher (Acton, Mass.) put KSC up 2-0 on a deflection that went into the high corner of the net.

The Owls added four answered goals in the second half.  Coffin put a shot into the far corner for her second goal of the game to make it 3-0.  Senior Kalin Billert (Center Conway, N.H.) and freshman Julia Forgione (Windham, N.H.) netted goals three minutes apart to extend the Owls' lead to 5-0.  Billert was set up in front on a crossing pass by senior captain Jackie Benson (Hampstead, N.H.) and Forgione tipped in a pass from Gallagher.  Senior Nikki Smith (Southwick, Mass.) concluded the scoring with a low, hard drive into the bottom left side of the net. 

Keene State freshmen goalies Caitlin Davino-Draper (Hanover, Mass.) and D.J. Cassidy (Lowell, Mass.), seeing her first collegiate game action, shared the shutout for KSC.  Davino-Draper played the first 49:35 and made one save while Cassidy played the final 20:25 and didn't register a save.

Johansen and sophomore Kacie Sturgeon (Dartmouth, Mass.) each saw time in goal for the Bears.  Johansen, who played 20:04 and made eight saves, had two nice stops near the end of the game, knocking a way a high shot by the Owls' Alyce Ferenc (Rumney, N.H.) and later diving to her right and denying a bid by Kerry Howe (Atlantic Highlands, N.J.),.

KSC Coach Amy Watson credits her teams' midfield play for the Owls' early-season goal outburst.  "We're putting the ball in the net, but I'm really excited about our midfielders. They are doing a nice getting the ball up the field and setting up forwards," she said. "We've had a hard time with that in the past."

Keene State outshot BSC 23-3 and had an 11-2 advantage in corner opportunities.

Keene State has a busy week ahead with four home games scheduled, starting with a key non-conference clash against Williams College on Tuesday (6 p.m.).

Bridgewater is at Salve Regina on Tuesday.