Box Score KEENE, NH - Keene State sophomore midfielder Brittney Cardente scored the game winner 1:54 into overtime to lift the top-seeded Owls to a 2-1 victory over eighth-seeded Eastern Connecticut in Little East Conference field hockey quarterfinal action Tuesday night at Owl Athletic Complex.
With the win, KSC (17-4, 11-0) advances to the semifinals and will host the No. 4 seed Western Connecticut State who outlasted Bridgewater State 3-2 in overtime of their quarterfinal matchup. The Warriors complete their season with an overall record of 8-10 and 5-6 in conference play. Tonight's matchup was the first-ever meeting between these two LEC schools in the conference postseason tournament.
Head Coach Amy Watson had high praise for the effort of the Warriors tonight, "East Conn played great...they gave us a fight, they played way better than we did in the first half. Luckily we were able to come out better in the second half and tie it up," Watson said.
Laura Chicorka gave Eastern Connecticut a 1-0 lead 19:37 into the game when she dribbled in the circle and her shot found the back of the cage for her fourth goal of the season.
The Owls evened up the game at the 49:06 mark when Kayla Renaud's shot off a corner was tipped in by Mariah Barnett for her eighth tally of the year.
KSC had four penalty corner opportunities in a span of 1:22 late in the second half, but was unable to find the back of the cage.
In overtime, Cardente took the free hit from outside the circle, dribbled in and lasered a shot that found the top left of the cage to send the Owls to the semifinals.
Defender Jessica Oliveira kept the Warriors in this game as she recorded four defensive saves to frustrate the Owls offense.
The Owls held an advantage in both shots and corner opportunities, 22-9 and 10-2, respectively. Scavo (8-10) recorded seven saves for the Warriors, while Dwyer (13-3) finished with two saves for Keene State.
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