NORTHAMPTON, Mass.--Keene State College scored two first half goals and held on to defeat Smith College 2-1 in a non-conference field hockey game played in Northampton, Mass. on Thursday afternoon.   Senior Alex Billert (Center Conway, N.H.) netted both Owl goals. 

 Keene State improves to 12-7 while Smith falls to 7-10.

The Owls got on the board just five minutes into the game. Alex Billert received a penalty corner from senior Kalin Billert, (Center Conway, N.H.)  and rifled in a shot from the top of the left circle to beat Smith goalie Nora Demick. It was Abbate's first college goal.

Keene State made it 2-0 in the 18th minute with a similar type of goal. Kalin Billert took a corner that found twin sister Alex Billert (Center Conway, N.H.), who scored from the top of the circle with a long distance effort. It was her 12th goal of the season.

Smith responded with immediate pressure, as Casey Rau tested Owls' starter sophomore Caitlin Davino-Draper (Hanover, Mass.), who turned aside the follow-up efforts from Dari Goulden and Alexa DeJesus. Freshman Lyndsie Rabenius (North Hampton, N.H.) was then stoned by Demick just before the end of the first half to keep the score 2-0 at the break.

Junior Aimee Donaruma (Hampden, Mass.) was denied an early second half goal for Keene State, with Goulden clearing her shot off the line, and Smith hit back in the 46th minute with a well worked counter attacking goal. DeJesus slipped a pass to Caroline Noonan, who sprang Allie Stein up the right side. Stein dribbled in and hammered a shot to the far post and past new KSC 'keeper freshman Meaghan Dwyer (Rutland, Mass.)  to cut the deficit in half.

A trio of saves from Demick with 10 minutes remaining kept Smith in the game, as out of a timeout, Alex Billert, Kalin Billert, and sophomore Marisa Lemoine (Berlin, N.H.) were all denied by the first year keeper, and Smith earned a pair of corners at the other end of the field. Goulden had a golden chance to tie the game with five minutes to play, only to be turned back by a defensive save from sophomore Melissa Habelow (Belmont, Mass.).

Demick finished with 18 saves for Smith, 12 coming in the second half. Davino-Draper played the first half for Keene State, making four saves, while Dwyer played the second half and made one save.

Keene State will wrap up its regular season with a home game on Saturday against Framingham State at 1:30 p.m.

(Courtesy Smith College Sports Information)