NORTH DARTMOUTH, MASS. 11/6/13 –  The Dr. Ron Butcher coaching era at Keene State College came to an end with the third seeded Owls losing to second seed UMass-Dartmouth 3-1 in a Little East Conference men's soccer tournament semifinal game played in North Dartmouth, Mass. on Wednesday night. 

Keene State concludes its season with a 7-12 record while the Corsairs (11-7) move on to Saturday's LEC finals where they will face top seed Eastern Conn. 

Butcher completes his legendary 43-year career on the Keene State sideline with 596 victories to rank fifth on the NCAA men's soccer all-time wins list.  "I'm sure it will sink in tomorrow that it's over," said Butcher. "Who knows?  Maybe you'll see me on the sidelines again?"

Senior Victor Ferreira (St. Michael, Portugal) paced UMass Dartmouth with a goal and an assist while junior Josh Chao (New Bedford, Mass.) and freshman Matt Vidal (New Bedford, Mass.) each netted a marker.

Keene State's lone goal came on a penalty kick by senior Scott Douglas (East Greenwich, R.I.) that cut the score to 2-1 late in the first half. 

"The guys played with a lot of heart" said Butcher.  "If we played liked this throughout the season, we would've won more games."

The Corsairs charged out of the gates with three quality scoring chances in the first 15 minutes of regulation. In the ninth minute, the Keene State junior keeper Mike Ketterman (Monson, Mass.) stymied Ferreira's point-blank opportunity with a diving save to his left. On the ensuing rush, sophomore Corey Morris (Freehold, N.J.) sent a touch pass to Chao on the right flank. Chao cut across the grain and fired his ninth marker of the season into the net to provide the hosts with an early 1-0 advantage.

Less than two minutes later, Vidal recorded the eventual game-winner goal, when he pounced on a rebound and deposited his fifth goal of the season into the vacant net. Ferreira was credited with an assist.

Following the goal, Butcher made wholesale changes to his line-up, inserting several freshmen that ignited the team.  "They changed the game around and we almost came back to win," said Butcher.

Keene State cut the Corsairs' lead in half in the 38th minute, when Douglas was pulled down from behind inside the 18-yard box. Douglas converted on the penalty kick for his 15th marker of the season to cap the first half scoring.

UMass Dartmouth received some breathing room in the 82nd minute. Ferreira utilized some crafty footwork to beat an Owl defender and create a 1-v-1 opportunity with the goalie. Ferreira would not be stoned the second time, as the senior striker fired an insurance marker through the charging keepers' five-hole. It was Ferreira's team-leading 11th goal of the season.

Corsair freshman Luis Carranza (New Bedford, Mass.) made four stops to earn the victory, while Ketterman stopped five attempts in the loss.