Box Score KEENE, N.H. – The University of New England stifled the Keene State College field hockey team's offense for most of Thursday night and scored what proved to be the game-winner less than four minutes into the second half in an eventual 2-1 victory, spoiling the Owls' season-opener and first game on the newly-renovated turf surface at Owl Athletic Complex.
Records
- Keene State: 0-1
- University of New England: 1-0
How It Happened
Despite getting a limited number of chances inside the circle on the evening offensively, the Owls got a 10-save effort from goalkeeper
Molly Edmark to stay within reach, including three in less than three minutes in the fourth quarter in a 2-1 game. However, the Nor'easters did not allow KSC much free space, holding off a brief surge in the final 15 minutes that saw the Owls get a pair of corners with a little over five minutes remaining but nothing to show on the scoresheet.
After Edmark stopped tries from Lindsay Bruns and Madi Robito within 12 seconds of each other and then kicked out Bailey Lynch's shot less than two minutes later, Keene State pressed for the equalizer. UNE keeper Lindsay Pych had a quiet opening three quarters before stopping a try from freshman
Irini Stefanakos, who recorded her first career assist in her first game on KSC's lone goal, with just under six minutes to go. Moments later,
Maggie Cahoon fed a corner try in short to
Halle Dickerson, but Dickerson's follow up try off her initial effort was stopped by Pych. The Owls also had a corner with 5:16 to go, but the blast from the top of the circle that was looking for a tip wound up going wide. Edmark made a save off one of Jillian Lachapelle's five shots in the game with 2:27 left to still keep it just a 2-1 game, but the Owls did not generate any high-danger chances in the waning minutes as UNE kept them on the outside.
Keene State had the first big opportunity of the contest just 23 seconds in when they were awarded a corner, but nothing came of that and UNE then carried the play for most of the rest of the half, outshooting the Owls 7-2 in the opening 30 minutes. Georgia Eson broke the ice on the scoring just 5:40 in to put the Nor'easters in front, and it looked like the visitors would add more, but Edmark was there for KSC, making three stops over an eight minute span in the second quarter. That proved to be big when the Owls scored what appeared to be a momentum-altering goal with 2:28 to go in the first half, as Cahoon inserted a corner and then hung around the front of the cage after, tapping home Stefanakos' feed into the middle to tie the game. UNE had other ideas about the momentum, as Lachapelle forced Edmark to make two saves just minutes after the halftime break before helping Lindsay Bruns score the go-ahead goal in the 34th minute.
Edmark (0-1) took a tough loss in her home debut despite the 10 stops. Pych (1-0) saved two of three shots.
Penalty Strokes
- Tonight marked Keene State's first home game since November 7, 2019 when they downed Western Connecticut State University 4-2 in a rainy LEC semifinal. They played just five games in the spring season earlier this year, none at home due to the turf construction.
- UNE has won five of the past six in the series. KSC's lone win in that span came in 2018 (2-1). The Nor'easters outshot KSC 17-5, 12-3 on goal, in the game.
Up Next
- Keene State visits Springfield College on Saturday, September 4 for a 12:00 p.m. start. It will be the Pride's season opener.
- University of New England continues a tough season-opening four-game road stretch by traveling to 16th-ranked (preseason poll) Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1-0) on Saturday, September 4 at 1:30 p.m. Their next three games are all against ranked foes, culminating with a game at No. 1 and three-time defending national champion Middlebury College.
