KEENE, N.H. 11/2/13 – The Keene State College women's soccer team celebrated senior day with a 4-0 Little East Conference shutout victory over the University of Southern Maine on Saturday at Owl Athletic Complex.

With the victory, Keene State (15-4-1, 6-1 LEC) will share the LEC regular season championship with UMass-Boston.  KSC will be the second seed in the upcoming LEC tournament and will receive a first-round bye. They will host a semifinal game against the winner of the #3 UMass-Dartmouth-#6 Southern Maine game on Thursday.  Despite the loss, Southern Maine (5-13-1, 2-5 LEC) will be the sixth seed and play a quarterfinal game at Western Conn. on Tuesday.

One of eight KSC seniors honored prior to the game, Brittany Boscarino (Ellington, Conn.) gave Keene State a 1-0 lead five minutes into the game.  Classmate Hayley Kenyon (Exeter, R.I.)sent the ball up to senior Katie Boivan (Littleton, N.H.) who tipped the ball over to Boscarino who deposited the ball into the open net for her sixth goal of the senior.  "I was hoping to get a goal on senior day.  It was a perfect present," said Boscarino.

A couple of seniors, Kara Pavlidis (Lee, N.H.) and Jessica Berthiaume (Worcester, Mass.) had chances to add to the Owls lead, but their shots hit off the post.

Keene State did get its second goal with 8:51 to go in the half.  Junior Beverly Cole (Madbury. N.H.) started the play by sending a crossing ball over to classmate Alex Haley (Laconia, N.H.).  Haley's shot hit off the crossbar and dropped into the net to make it a 2-0 game.

Minutes later, Husky senior goalie Katie Cobb (Lewiston, Maine) kept it a two-goal game when she robbed Berthiaume who was set up all alone in front.  KSC also had a goal called back when the officials ruled an Owl player knocked the ball into the net with her arm. 

Kenyon gave KSC a 3-0 lead at the 34:11 mark when she blasted a shot into the far corner of the net.   Freshman Marissa Costello (Meriden, Conn.) put the Owls up 4-0 lead at the 19:33 mark.  Boscarino's free shot hit off the crossbar.  Crashing the net, Costello knocked in the rebound for her first college goal.  "I was running in just to get the rebound," said Costello. "Being a defender, I never expected to score."

Keene State controlled play from the opening whistle, outshooting the Huskies 31-4. KSC took the only corner kick in the game.

"This game meant a lot to us.  We just wanted to come out and do it for the seniors, "said Pavlidis. 

"We wanted to make sure we had a great win for the seniors," said KSC Coach Denise Lyons, who got 25 of her 27 players into the game. " I started them all, including Cat Falcone (Sutton, Mass.) and Katie Boivan (Littleton, N.H.) and they both did fine. It's sad to see them go."

 Keene State's senior class included: Kristen Huckins (Westmoreland, N.H.), Kelsie Bailey (Barre, Vt.) Pavlidis, Boscarino, Kenyon, Boivan, Falcone, and Berthiaume.

Junior Torrie Crenson (North Salem, N.Y.) and freshman Danielle Warhall (Spofford, N.H.) shared the shutouts in goal for the Owls.  Crenson started in goal for KSC and made one save.  Warhall played the final 15 minutes and stopped two shots.

Cobb had a busy day in goal for USM, making 11 saves.  Sophomore Marissa Temple (Grafton, Mass.) played the final nine minutes but didn't record a save.