Box Score HENNIKER, N.H. – Jenna Chrabolowski scored with 1:58 remaining in overtime to help New England College hand the Keene State College field hockey team a second consecutive defeat in extra time, beating the Owls for the first time in 15 years by a 2-1 final Wednesday night at Don Melander Field.
Records
- Keene State: 1-7
- New England College: 8-1
How It Happened
After a scoreless opening 30 minutes where the Owls did not put any of their four shots on target, KSC struck first a little over four minutes into the second half when their leading scorer
Irini Stefanakos fed second-leading scorer
Ellie Hunkins with a nice pass through the middle. However, it was not enough, as NEC tied the game 14:02 later and eventually handed KSC a third overtime loss in the last five games.
Keene State outshot the Pilgrims 13-11 in regulation, but could not generate any offensive push in the extra session, as New England College registered all five shots and eventually broke though
Molly Edmark as Chrabolowski charged down the middle after an Owl turnover and slipped the ball around the KSC keeper's glove side with a crafty move in the circle. The tally came at the tail end of an NEC advantage after Hunkins' green card in the 67th minute. Edmark had previously made four saves in a four-minute span, denying Drea Chin twice and Aviara Challinor and Mikayla Vincent once, but she suffered another tough-luck loss while making seven saves.
The Owls' 1-0 lead could have been more in a third quarter where they had a 4-1 advantage in shots, but Ellie Philben made three of her five stops in that 15 minutes, which paid off when Chin tied the game just 3:25 into the fourth after putting home a rebound of her initial shot. KSC nearly answered immediately with a game-changing sequence, but Stefanakos hit the post and Giuliana Kevlin made a defensive save on Hunkins' try to keep it 1-1. Edmark stopped a game-winning bid by Vincent with a little over 30 seconds left to send the game into overtime, but such a scenario has not been a favorable omen to the Owls thus far in 2021.
Penalty Strokes
- Keene State had won the last eight games in the series by a combined score of 35-6, including 6-1 in two victories at the very same Don Melander Field this past spring. New England College's last win before tonight was a 3-1 decision in 2006.
- Hunkins has scored in four of the past five games and has registered 17 shots in that span.
Up Next
- KSC makes a brief stop home to take on Western Connecticut State University (2-3, 1-1 LEC) for a league contest this Saturday, September 25 at 2:30 p.m. KSC is 17-for-17 against WestConn in the series and outscored them 12-3 at Owl Athletic Complex in a pair of victories in 2019.
- New England College goes to Husson University (0-3, 0-1 NECC) on the same day for a 6:00 p.m. start.
