Box Score

PLYMOUTH, N.H. – Sophomore Chase Lambert scored what turned out to be the game-winning goal with 8:46 remaining, her third tally of the brief spring season, as the Keene State College field hockey team edged Plymouth State University 3-2 in a rain-soaked Little East Conference contest at Panther Field Wednesday afternoon.
 
Records

• Keene State:  3-2, 1-1 LEC
• Plymouth State:  0-3, 0-2 LEC

How It Happened
It was a rollercoaster for the Owls in their first game at Plymouth's new turf field, as the Panthers opened the scoring in the 22nd minute before KSC roared to life, scoring twice in 36 seconds only two minutes later.  Keene State dominated the second quarter after a shotless opening 15 minutes and took a 2-1 lead into the break, but Plymouth State tied the game on Haley Wakefield's goal with a little over 10 minutes remaining.  The tying tally came after KSC had another donut in the shots column in the third – outshot by PSU 5-0 – but the Owls again answered in a big way, as Lambert followed up a try from Ellie Hunkins and slid it past Panther goalkeeper Jess Distler who had aggressively come out to stop the initial shot.  Leading 3-2, Keene State kept the pressure on looking for an insurance goal, but Distler stopped a pair of tries from Nina Bruno and another from Lambert in a span of 1:21 to keep her team in the game.  However, after taking the lead, the Owls held Plymouth to just one shot for the remainder of the game before it was called due to lightning with 1:34 left on the clock as KSC keeper Molly Edmark stopped Alessia Salzillo's shot with 2:29 to go.
 
Playing in rainy, windy, and unpleasant conditions, the Owls got off to a slow start, not recording a shot until 22:51 into the game when Jordyn Martin's try following Maggie Cahoon's corner insert was blocked.  Edmark had made a pair of saves in the first quarter to keep the game scoreless, but the Panthers went up 1-0 at the 21:29 mark on Natalie Perry's goal.  Their lead was short-lived, and in fact they wound up trailing 2-1 only 2:25 later after Hunkins tipped home Martin's blast off a corner and Bruno redirected a long blast from outside the circle by Demetria Gonzalez past Distler.  Keene State kept the pressure on for the remainder of the half, but Bruno was blocked at the 28:43 mark before second later a shot by Martin hit the post as it stayed a one-goal game at the break.
 
Plymouth answered Keene State's push with one of their own, recording all five shots of the third quarter, but only one on target that was kept out by Edmark, who went to nearby Plymouth Regional High School.  Their pressure paid off when Haley Wakefield scored nearly four minutes into the final quarter, but they had only one shot in the game after that and the 2-2 tie lasted only 1:26.
 
Edmark stopped five of seven shots to earn the win for KSC, while Distler despite not recording a save until the fourth quarter also finished with five but took the loss.
 
Penalty Strokes

• The game was Keene State's first at Plymouth's new turf facility after they played their previous four road contests against PSU dating to 2015 at the New Hampton School's Kennedy Field.  The Owls have won seven of eight in the series overall.
• Keene State had a 9-6 advantage in penalty corners, though much of that was due to getting six of seven in the second quarter.

Up Next

• Keene State wraps up their spring schedule at the University of Southern Maine (0-2, 0-0 LEC) on Sunday, April 25 at 1:00 p.m.
• Plymouth State will prepare for the regular fall season after dropping their three 2020-2021 contests against Eastern Connecticut State University and KSC by a combined 9-4 score.