KEENE, N.H. – The Keene State women's soccer team hosted Husson University Sunday at Dr. Ron Butcher Field for their senior day. After coming back from allowing a goal in the first minute of the match and taking a 2-1 lead shortly after, the Owls would falter and allow two goals in a minute in the second half and eventually fall to the Eagles, 3-2. 

Records

• Keene State: 7-3-5, 3-0-4 LEC
• Husson: 10-5-1, 5-1 NAC

Postgame Interview (Coach Testo)

How it Happened

51 seconds into the game, the Eagles would score first as Adtison Clark would dribble into the Owls box, firing a shot up and over the Owls goalkeeper, Sonia Moritz, for her first goal of the season, putting the Eagles up 1-0 with plenty of time left to play. Keene State would answer just a few minutes later, as Alexa Skinner would a shot from far outside Husson's box on net, ringing off the cross bar and sit right in front of the goal line, where Riley Devine would come and collect the shot and fire it into the back of the net, knotting the game up at one apiece 5:39 into the contest. Keene State would tack on another goal shortly after as Bryn Dickinson sent the ball across the Eagles' box, where Elizabeth Tschudin headed the ball from the top of the box over to the opposite side, finding the foot of Emily Ahlman for the one timer, burying the shot into the back of the net, putting the Owls up 2-1. After recently joining the team, Ahlman has only played in five games for the Owls, and her goal was her first career collegiate goal, coming off her first shot attempt. Shortly after, Moritz would make her first save of the game, coming on a shot from Madison Higgins. Over the next seven minutes, Moritz would make two more saves, preserving the Owls' lead over the Eagles. Both teams would trade possessions as the first half went on, until the Owls would get a pair of shots on net with a few minutes remaining in the half but Husson's goalkeeper, Hannah Keeney, would save both the shots, keeping the score 2-1 for the Owls heading into halftime. 
 
In the second half, the teams would trade possessions early on. The Owls would get two shots off in the first 10 minutes of the second half, but they would both go wide of the net. Soon after the pair of KSC shots, the Eagles would take the ball the other way, where off an Eagle corner, Devon St. Louis would find the loose ball in the Owls' box and take a shot on net, that would go past Moritz and into the back of the net, tying the game at two apiece. The Eagles were not done though, as just 59 seconds later, Addi Laslie sent the ball across KSC's box to the opposite side. St. Louis would be on the receiving end of the box, where she would take a touch and flick a shot over the charging Moritz, that would find the back of the net, giving Husson the 3-2 lead with 31 minutes left to play. Joclynn Tyler would get an opportunity soon after the Eagles' last goal, but that shot would go over the crossbar. Husson would get off four shots over the next seven minutes of play, but none of them would be on target, as three would miss the target and Skinner would block a shot. With 10 minutes left to play, Keene State's Claire Halligan would try to get a shot past Keeney, coming off a free kick from Giuliana Stolfi, but Keeney got Infront of the shot, keeping the score 3-2 for the Eagles. That would be KSC's last shot attempt of the match, as they would not get an opportunity the rest of the way, as Husson would defeat Keene State 3-2.
 
Keeney made three saves in net for the Eagles, while allowing a pair of goals. Moritz made four saves, while allowing three goals. This is the first time during the 2023 season where Moritz allowed more than one goal in a game.
 
In her postgame interview, Sarah Testo, the Head Coach of the Keene State women's soccer team, talked about how the team responded from conceding the opening goal within the first minute and how they were able to rebound and score two of their own soon after, "We responded well, we were still asleep when that first goal went in, but we woke up a little bit and held them the rest of the half."
 
When asked how she felt about the Owls being undefeated in LEC play (3-0-4), Testo talked about how important their final regular season conference game against Rhode Island College is, "It's a goal of ours to try to go undefeated in the conference and get that win. Then we got to sit back and see how everybody else does and see where we fall. We could be No. 2, we could be No. 3, we could be No. 4, but all we can do right now is take care of controlling our destiny and beating R.I.C."
 
Inside the Box

• With Keene State's loss, Husson takes the lead in the all-time series between the two schools, 2-1, avenging their 3-1 loss to the Owls last year.
• The Eagles outshot the Owls 16-12, including seven to five on shots on goal on the match. Husson outshot Keene State 10-5 in the second half.
• Husson had four corner kicks to the Owls' one.
• On her first shot attempted, Owls' sophomore Emily Ahlman scored her first career collegiate goal in the match, after playing in her fifth game with the Owls.
• Prior to the game, Maya Baker, Alexa Skinner, Rachel Souza, Elizabeth Kopicko, and Kendall Healey were all recognized, as the five were joined by their families for senior day and recognized for everything that they have done for Keene State over their four years with the program.

Up Next

Keene State's next game is on the road on Tuesday, October 17, at 7:00 PM as they will travel to take on the Salem State Vikings.
Husson's next game is their last regular season home game of their 2023 campaign, as they will host NAC opponent, University of Maine at Presque Isle on Wednesday, October 18, at 4:30 PM.