Box Score BABSON PARK, Mass. – Senior captain Eric Anderson (Scituate, Mass.) and sophomore Shawn Citro (Oakland, N.J.) each scored goals and junior keeper Jackson Klein (Maplewood, N.J.) made five saves in net as the Babson College men's soccer team defeated visiting Keene State College, 2-1, in a non-conference contest at Hartwell-Rogers Field on Wednesday afternoon.
With the victory, the Beavers, ranked ninth in New England by the NSCAA, improved to 7-2-1 on the season, while the Owls (6-3-0) saw their three game winning streak come to an end.
"We went toe-to-toe with one of the top teams in the region," said KSC Coach Ron Butcher. "After we scored in the second half, we carried the play. I was pretty proud of the guys. I thought we played exceptionally well. Now we have to keep the band-wagon going."
Babson scored both of its goals in the first half of play, starting with Anderson's team-leading 11th of the season at 27:22. Senior Ayo Iwuagwu (Lagos, Nigeria) took a pass from the senior All-American and fired a rocket toward the left side of the goal mouth, where Keene State sophomore goalie Mike Ketterman (Monson, Mass.) made a spectacular diving save to his right. The rebound then trickled toward the left post, where Anderson easily poked it into the open net for a 1-0 Babson lead.
The Beavers doubled their advantage later in the half, as Citro gained possession off a defensive deflection near the top of the box. The sophomore midfielder then took one touch to his left and blasted a shot into the lower right corner for his second goal of the fall and a 2-0 Babson cushion at 38:35.
Things stayed that way until the early moments of the second half, when Keene State finally broke through against Klein and the stingy Babson defense. Off a short corner kick, senior Kyle Leavitt (Plymouth, Mass.) hit a long cross from near the left sideline toward the middle of the box, where junior Brian Swindell (Milford, Mass.) redirected it with a leaping header inside the right post at 52:32. It was Swindell's third marker of the season and it cut his team's deficit to 2-1. The Owls then nearly tied the game when sophomore Michael Jacques (Tolland, Conn.) blocked an attempted clear deep in the Babson zone in the 78th minute, but his ensuing shot from a tough angle on the left side drifted wide of the near post.
Keene State's final strong scoring opportunity of the game came in the 84th minute, starting with a long service from junior Scott Douglas (East Greenwich, R.I.) to the left side of the box. Jacques then headed an arcing pass toward the left post, but Klein was able to make a clean catch in front of charging sophomore Yazid Eideh (Haverhill, Mass.) to preserve the Babson victory.
Klein finished the game with five saves in net, including a brilliant diving deflection to his right on a low blast by Douglas just 12 minutes into the contest. Ketterman recorded four stops in goal for Keene State.
Keene State is at rival Plymouth State on Saturday (4:30 p.m.).
(Courtesy Babson Sports Information)
