KEENE, N.H. -- Junior Nathan Sickles ignited the Keene State College men's lacrosse team to a 14-11 win over Western Connecticut State University at the Owl Athletic Complex on a rainy Tuesday evening. Sickles netted five goals and one assist to help the Owls secure the No. 2 seed in the Little East Conference and home-field advantage in the semifinals next week. 

Records 

• Keene St: 10-4, 6-1 LEC 
• WSCU: 12-3, 5-2 LEC 

How It Happened 

The Wolves jumped to a 3-0 lead early in the first quarter. The Owls came alive, netting two goals in a man-up situation. Sickles tallied two goals within ten seconds in the final minute as the Owls trailed 3-2 after the first.   

Senior Joe Nutting tied it up at the beginning of the second quarter with an assist from freshman Brendan DiSilva. Sickles picked up where he left off, netting two goals to give the Owls a 5-3 lead. Keene State never fell behind again. The Wolves answered with two, but freshman Rex Maccarini netted one goal to finish the half. The Owls had a slight 6-5 advantage after the first 30 minutes of action 

The teams traded goals in the second half, but the Owls were consistently one step ahead. Junior Cooper Cioffi and freshman Connor Woods netted two goals apiece in the third to lead Keene State 10-8 after the third quarter. 

The Owls outscored the Wolves 4-3 in the final quarter to keep their edge. Nutting scored his second of the game followed by Sickles' fifth. Cioffi completed his hat trick to give the Owls a three-goal advantage. Senior defenseman Shane Molloy stole the show when he netted a goal from his own defensive third in the final minutes of play to put an end to any comeback from the Wolves. The Owls secured their second-place seed with a 14-11 victory over the Western Connecticut Wolves. 

Inside the Crease 

• Sickles netted five goals and one assist. He has scored 47 career goals. 
• Molloy tallied one goal, scooped up 11 groundballs, and caused four turnovers. 
• Senior goalkeeper Chase Chamberlin made nine saves and tallied one assist for the Owls. 
• The Owls outshot their opponents 38-27. 
• Keene State leads the all-time series 20-2. In their last meeting, Western Connecticut defeated Keene State in the 2021 LEC semifinals. 

Up Next 

• The Owls host Plymouth State for their senior recognition night on Friday, April 29 at 5 p.m. 
• The Wolves travel to Salem State to wrap up their regular season on Friday, April 29.