KEENE, N.H. 3/31/12 – The Keene State College women's lacrosse team opened up their 2012 conference schedule in grand fashion, led by senior Caitlyn Corace's (Mahopac, N.Y.) five goals, the Owls rolled past the Huskies 17-4 on Saturday afternoon at Owl Athletic Complex.

With the victory the Owls improve to 5-2 overall and 1-0 in LEC play, while the loss drops the Huskies below .500 for the season at 4-5 and 0-1 in league play.

Using a balanced attack, KSC got goals from nine different players, with Corace's five leading the way. Junior midfielder Nicole Curry (Hampstead, N.H.) finished with a game-high four assists and six points in the win. Owls leading scorer Lauren Brown (Agawam, Mass.) finished with a hat-trick and an assist, while Eliza Witherbee (Newburyport, Mass.) totaled two goals and a helper.

Southern Maine had all four goals come from different players. Freshman Emily Garry (York, Maine) scored the lone Huskies goal in the first half, while Shelby Turcotte (Lewiston, Maine), Rosie Forster (Andover, Mass.) and Jessica Gassman (Kennebunk, Maine) each tallied markers in the second half.

Early on in the contest, KSC jumped out to a 4-0 lead, as sophomore attacker Julie Trombetta (Trumbull, Conn.) weaved around the net and scored in traffic at the 18:52 mark for the early advantage.

USM would hit the scoreboard, as Garry, who had just recently checked into the game, scooped up a groundball off a rebounded shot and scored over the top of KSC goalie Erin Taylor (Brewster, N.Y.) to cut the lead to 4-1.

After that it was all Owls, as they would score five unanswered goals in the period, including Curry's goal from Witherbee with 3:15 left, for the 9-1 lead.

Turcotte scored right out of the gate for the Huskies to make it a 9-2 score, but KSC would outscore Southern Maine 8-2 down the stretch, for the 17-4 final.

Taylor made seven saves for the Owls before giving way for junior goalie Christine Collins (Cheshire, Conn.) for the final 12-plus minutes of action. USM goalie Kimberly Vogel (Sanford, Maine) made 11 saves and allowed the 17 KSC goals in the losing effort.

The Owls return to action on Tuesday, as they will host New England College at 4 p.m. USM plays next on Wednesday as they will host Bowdoin College at 4:30 p.m.