BRIDGEWATER, Mass. – The Keene State College field hockey team broke away from what was a one-goal lead at halftime by scoring three times in the final 30 minutes while having a 15-1 shots advantage as they beat Bridgewater State University 5-1 in Little East Conference action Sunday afternoon at Swenson Field.

Records

• Keene State:  5-4, 4-0 LEC
• Bridgewater State:  1-8, 0-4 LEC

How It Happened
Early on, the game between an unbeaten league team and a winless league team was following that script, as KSC recorded all five shots in the opening 15 minutes and got a pair of goals 8:38 apart to build a 2-0 lead.  However, the Bears – who entered having been outscored 33-7 on the season and outshot 184-60 – actually narrowed the gap to just one at halftime, outshooting the Owls 5-4 in the second quarter while also having four of the six penalty corners.  The story flipped back in the other direction rapidly after halftime, as Keene State was all over Bridgewater for the final 30 minutes.  The Owls had three corners in the opening 3:26 and then scored a few minutes later after their fourth, as Hannah Wood's blast from the top of the circle found Kalina Piasecki for her fourth tally of the season and a 3-1 lead at the 38:56 mark.  Piasecki's four goals have all come within the last six games.  Not even four minutes later, it was 4-1, as after a pair of saves by BSU keeper Ashley Hamelin (0-6) – who had 10 on the day – Demetria Gonzalez capitalized after a scramble in front of the cage.  The Owls had an 8-0 advantage in shots in the third and had five penalty corners while the Bears did not have any.

KSC set a new season-high mark for goals in a game (five) with a special one for Julia Baer, the first of her collegiate career, with less than a minute remaining in the fourth.  The Owl freshman and Contoocook, N.H. native cashed in following a corner and an initial shot by Lauren Hausser that was stopped by Hamelin.

The 5-1 final was also Keene State's largest margin of victory on the season and their 24-6 advantage in shots was the second widest in that category (39-10 at Western Connecticut State University last Saturday).

Despite a wobbly second quarter, the Owls did get off to a strong start thanks to familiar faces, as Irini Stefanakos snapped home a rebound of Emily White's shot 5:59 into the game.  A first frame that KSC dominated saw Maggie Cahoon score for the second time in the last three games as she inserted a corner and then had Gonzalez work the ball back to her for the score, putting KSC in front 2-0.  It seemed it would be a very quick runaway, but Bridgewater had other ideas, forcing Molly Edmark to make two saves early in the second.  The home team was able to earn a corner in that sequence, and broke through when Sophia Morse scored from the middle of the circle to trim the deficit to 2-1, her fourth goal of the season.  It was nearly a tie game at halftime, but Gonzalez added to her impressive outing by making a defensive save on Zoe Bergeron's shot, and Edmark denied Lexi James with 42 seconds left in the half to keep KSC in front.

"We had a well-balanced attack today," said Keene State head coach Amy Watson, who added "and we were able to get all three of our goalies action."

The Owls got three goalkeepers action.  Clara Gorman started and did not have to make a save in the first quarter, while Edmark (1-0) made three stops in the next 30 minutes before Ashley Enis made one stop in the fourth quarter.

Penalty Strokes

• Keene State had a 13-5 advantage in penalty corners.
• Gonzalez's goal was the first since she scored three in a two-game span last October against Worcester State University and Framingham State University.
• The Owls are 25-4 all-time against Bridgewater State and have won the last 13 meetings.  They are 8-4 at Swenson Field, a place they had not visited since 2017 and have not lost at since 2012 (five straight wins since).

Up Next

• KSC returns home for a pair of games this week, starting with Little East Conference opponent Salem State University (2-5, 1-3 LEC) on Wednesday, October 5 at 6:30 p.m.  The Vikings ended a three-game skid in which they were outscored 22-1 when they won 2-1 at the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth Saturday.
• Bridgewater State travels to Framingham State (5-4, 1-3 LEC) on Wednesday for a 7:00 p.m. LEC  matchup.