GORHAM, Maine - Conference regular season champion and No. 1 seed University of Southern Maine scored less than three minutes after the fourth-seeded Keene State College field hockey team tied the game in the opening half and then added an insurance tally with less than 10 minutes to go as they eventually posted a 3-2 Little East tournament semifinal victory over the Owls on Thursday night at Hannaford Field. It marked the first time KSC fell short of reaching the conference final since 2010.
Records
- Keene State: 11-10
- Southern Maine: 15-7
How It Happened
Something of a bugaboo all year, the Owls remained unable to solve their woes in one-goal games as they fell shy of the Little East tournament championship game for the first time since 2010 when they lost 1-0 at the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth in the semifinal round. KSC finished 2-7 in such contests on the season, dropping their final five decisions decided by a goal, including a pair on the road in the last two weeks that helped send them on the road for this game. The Owls had beaten USM 4-2 in Keene on October 22 and, with a pair of subsequent wins after, could have been the No. 1 seed, but instead fell to Castleton University by one on October 25 that moved them down four spots in the standings. They reclaimed two of those, but following the quarterfinal round on Tuesday, knew they would have to win on the road – a place they were 4-5 and dropped four of their final five – if they wanted to win their first LEC title since 2018. Southern Maine, who clinched the No. 1 seed in their final league game of the year (a 4-3 overtime win at Plymouth State University), had other ideas as they search for their second league title and first in 19 years. The Owls had dominated the league, winning six straight championships from 2013 through 2018 and 12 since 2004, but their three season drought without one is now the longest since 2000 through 2003. KSC had played 21 of their last 24 LEC playoff games on their home field since 2013, but this time had to venture to Gorham for the first time ever in the postseason. It did not have the outcome the Owls desired.
The Huskies, who fell to the Owls 5-2 in last year's semifinals, took a 1-0 lead just 9:51 in and that, combined with a 7-3 shots advantage in the first quarter, ultimately helped set the tone for the evening.
Demetria Gonzalez responded with her fifth goal, all within the last month and change, to tie the game only 1:34 into the second quarter. However, that 1-1 score lasted only 2:55 as Hannah Banks put her team back in front once more by finishing off a pass from Izzy Hurlburt, who then scored herself for a two-goal USM lead in the 52nd minute as KSC was in deep trouble at that point. Within the 32-minute stretch where neither team scored, the Owls were not without chances, including a whopping 14 corners (to the Huskies' three) in the second half. They were unable to cash in, including when they had five in barely over three minutes midway through the third. USM goalkeeper Julianna Kiklis – who did not play in the regular season meeting that the Owls broke out to a 2-0 edge and never trailed – made three stops in that flurry, including a pair on
Julia Baer in the 38th and 39th minutes. Three more KSC corners came early in the fourth when it was still a 2-1 game, but two shots generated were blocked and one other went wide. Brooke Carson found Hurlburt for her second tally of the season – a critical insurance tally with 8:46 to go – that made it a 3-1 game. The Owls pushed after, with two more corners proving to be unsuccessful after the goal. After two USM corners also came up empty (of their three total in the second half),
Ellie Hunkins breathed some life into the Owls with a breakaway goal with 2:24 to go that made it 3-2. KSC then had two more corners chances less than a minute later with a chance to tie, but the lone shot that Baer generated was again denied by Kiklis at the 58:34 mark. The Owls proved to be out of chances and out of time after that, falling despite a plus-13 edge in corners. They have dropped their last two road playoff games dating back to winning the 2018 championship at Castleton University by a 2-1 final.
KSC goalkeeper
Molly Edmark (2-2) stopped eight of 11 shots in the loss, while Kiklis improved to 9-5 by making seven stops, five in the second half. Six of Edmark's saves came in the opening 30 minutes when USM had an 11-7 edge in shots (shots were 13-8 Keene State after the break).
The Owls limited Southern Maine leading scorers Sage Drinkwater and Carson to just one assist on the night, but the home team made up for it with the tallies by Keef (first of season), Hurlburt (second), and Banks (sixth).
Similarly on the KSC side,
Irini Stefanakos was held without a point and had four shots. Baer had a team-best five, but Kiklis stopped four of those.
Penalty Strokes
- The Owls were 3-6 this year in games where Stefanakos was held without a point.
- Dating to last year, KSC has dropped 14 of 17 games decided by one goal.
- Keene State entered 9-2 against Southern Maine in the playoffs, having won the last seven in a row. The Owls lead the all-time series 31-6, but have lost three of five – including three straight at Hannaford Field (by 1-0, 2-1, and 3-2 finals) – since winning 21 in a row.
Up Next
- KSC's season is over. The loss wraps up the careers of Hunkins, Maggie Cahoon, Hailey Patridge, Chase Lambert, Clara Hunkins, Emily White, and Lauren Hausser.
- Southern Maine advances to the Little East Conference championship game against Castleton University (13-7) on Saturday, November 5 at 2:00 p.m. The Spartans dominated the final three quarters in a 3-0 road semifinal win at Worcester State University this evening. Castleton was outshot 6-4 in the opening 15 minutes, but then outshot the Lancers 20-9 over the final 45 minutes, scoring all three goals in the second half. For USM, they will have a chance to avenge both of their regular season conference losses, as in addition to a 4-2 loss to Keene State, they also lost 4-3 in overtime in Vermont on October 8.
