FITCHBURG, Mass. – Kalina Piasecki scored just 3:47 into the game and the Keene State College field hockey team had 21 shots on goal to Fitchburg State University's eight, but the Owls lost a 3-1 Little East Conference field hockey decision to the Falcons Wednesday at Elliot Field as they fell back to .500 on the season.

Records

• Keene State:  6-6, 5-1 LEC
• Fitchburg State:  7-5, 5-2 LEC

How It Happened
KSC dominated the opening quarter, as they have done most of the season (outshooting opponents 53-28, by far the highest margin of any period), but a 9-1 shots advantage resulted in only a one-goal lead and Fitchburg State scored three times in a 15-minute span beginning in the second quarter and overlapping into the third to post their first victory in the series since 2004.  The Falcons won on September 27 of that year in double overtime by a 2-1 score on their home field, but had since lost 17 consecutive games against the Owls, being blanked 14 times and outscored by a 55-5 margin.  Last year, Keene State won 5-2 at Owl Athletic Complex, outshooting FSU 17-1 over the opening 45 minutes while building a 5-0 advantage.  The wide edge in shots remained this year, but the win did not, as the Owls fell back to .500 before game at No. 7 nationally-ranked Trinity College (Conn.) tomorrow.  KSC was in search of their first three-game winning streak of the season.  Fitchburg won their third consecutive game, a significant improvement from a 2-16, 1-11 LEC campaign last year.

The defeat dropped the Owls into third place in the conference standings, even in the loss column but one game behind the University of Southern Maine (7-1) overall and a half-game behind Worcester State University (6-1), both of whom they will be playing in their final seven games.

Entering the contest, surely one of Keene State's objectives would have been to limit FSU first year midfielder Lena Kassel, who had 18 of her team's 34 goals on the season (second in the LEC) and was also second in the conference in shots.  They did have some success in doing so, holding her to one assist and just two shots, but the Falcons got three goals from other sources – two from reserves – to find enough offense and saw their goalkeeper Jenna Morse make a whopping 19 saves.  Sydney Alto also made a defensive save as KSC peppered the Falcons' cage but were held scoreless for the final 56:13.

KSC got on the board quickly when, after Morse stopped Piasecki once, Molly Murray's pressure forced a turnover as Fitchburg tried to clear.  She carried up the right side and delivered a perfect centering ball to Piasecki, who cashed in for her fifth goal in the last nine games.  She has 13 points (5-3-13) on the season.  The Owls had plenty of opportunities for more as the quarter progressed, but had two shots blocked and saw shots by Irini Stefanakos and Ellie Hunkins both get denied by Morse.

The tide turned in the second quarter, as after generating just one shot in the opening 15 minutes, Fitchburg had eight in the second 15, four of which were on target and two of which went in as they eventually carried a 2-1 lead into the locker room.  Their equalizing tally came in the 21st minute as, after pressure from the Falcons' midfielders denied the Owls, Grace Kerr corralled a pass up the right side, carried into the circle, and found a waiting Sophia Yates who was alone in front and beat KSC keeper Clara Gorman.  Morse made three saves within the next two minutes to preserve the tie as the Owls pushed back, and her defense then warded off three KSC corners in 20 seconds with about five minutes to go in the second.  Fitchburg State took the lead with a goal off their own penalty corner with less than a minute to go in the quarter as Sarah Craig inserted with a pass that found its way outside the circle to Alto, whose blast designed for a tip home was met by Jessica Morse for her first goal of the season.  Now down 2-1, it continued a trend of KSC allowing late momentum-changing goals in quarters this season.  Last Saturday against WPI, the Owls scored twice in 1:31 to tie the game in the third quarter but then surrendered a go-ahead goal to the Engineers with 25 seconds left in that period.  Keene State also led Smith 1-0 on September 29 after controlling most of the first half, but allowed the tying goal with 1:04 left in the second and then a go-ahead goal with 30 seconds left in the third.

Fitchburg State, who scored twice in 8:32 to go in front 2-1, tacked on a third goal in less than 15 minutes by getting the first big chances of the second half.  The tally came off what was an impressive individual effort from Kassel, who danced around defenders and carried to the right side of the circle, firing a ball into the middle that was tipped home by Craig, who scored for the third time on the season.

It was all KSC after that, as they outshot the Falcons 14-4 over the game's final 25 minutes, but Morse made 12 saves in that span alone to go along with Alto's defensive save on Hunkins.  The Owls had a corner with less than a minute to go in the third and saw Stefanakos try to bat home a richochet off a Cahoon point blast, but Morse batted it away with her stick.  The FSU keeper then denied Piasecki three times in 40 seconds early in the fourth.  Hannah Olmstead also had three shots in 11 seconds later, but Morse saved two of them and the other went high.  Those wound up being KSC's last shots of the game, as they went the final 6:07 without recording one.

Morse picked up the win, improving to 7-5 with the 19 stops, her second most on the season only behind 21 in a 6-1 win over Westfield State University on October 5.  Gorman (5-6) saved five of eight shots in the loss.

Penalty Strokes

• KSC had a 30-14 edge in shots and 12-5 in penalty corners.
• The Owls lead the all-time series 24-3.  Their only previous losses to Fitchburg came in 1999 and 2004.

Up Next

• As mentioned, Keene State is back at it tomorrow (October 12) at 6:00 in Hartford, Conn.  The matchup with Trinity (9-2, 5-2 NESCAC) will be their second against a nationally-ranked foe this season.  They fell at then-No. 12 and current No. 4 Amherst College 6-0 on September 14.  The Bantams have won 10 straight against KSC, with the Owls not winning in the series since 2010.
• Fitchburg State continues LEC play with a home matchup against Castleton University (7-6, 5-2 LEC) on Friday, October 14 at 7:00 p.m.