FITCHBURG, Mass. – The Keene State women's soccer team traveled to take on Fitchburg State, Wednesday afternoon for their 2023 regular season finale. After the first 45 minutes of play went scoreless, three freshmen would each score a goal for the Owls in the second half, as Claire Halligan, Emily O'Connell, and Kinsey Donegan would give the Owls the 3-0 win over the Falcons in the first ever meeting between the two programs.

Records

• Keene State: 9-3-7, 3-0-5 LEC
• Fitchburg State: 2-10-4, 1-3-2 MASCAC

How it Happened


Although neither team would score in the first half, Keene State would be on the attack often, as they would outshoot the Falcons 16-4 over the first 45 minutes of play. After Sonia Moritz would make a save in net for the Owls, just 57 seconds into the contest, KSC would go on to take nine shots over the next 20 minutes of play, compared to none from the Falcons. Of the nine shots for the Owls, only three would be on target, as Elizabeth Kopicko, Bryn Dickinson, and Kendall Healey would each have a shot saved by Skyla Vaudo early in the contest. In the 25th minute, the Falcons would get a pair of their own shots off, as Moritz saved both of Charlotte Meixsell's shots, with the first being a free kick and the other shortly after being from around midfield, 40 yards away from the goal. Vaudo would mirror Moritz, and make two saves of her own, again coming off shots from Kopicko and Dickinson, in the 27th and 30th minute, respectively. Cassandra Pendleton would sub in for Vaudo in the 32nd minute, and make a save not even 30 seconds later, denying Healey of a goal. Pendleton would make another pair of saves in the final minutes of the first half, as the teams would head into halftime, tied 0-0.
 
The Owls maintained the pressure in the second half, as they would outshoot the Falcons 17-3 in the final 45 minutes of play. After Pendleton would save a shot from Alexa Skinner in the 54th minute, the Owls would finally open the scoring, as Claire Halligan would score her first career collegiate goal, sending a rocket from the edge of the Falcons box over the arms of Pendleton, putting the Owls up 1-0 in the 59th minute. Pendleton would make one more save in net, before being subbed out for Madison Dawkins in the 62nd minute. KSC had two corner kicks, one in the 66th minute, and the other in the 68th; both would result in shot attempts for the Owls, but Dawkins would make a pair of saves, keeping the Owls lead at one goal, with just over 20 minutes left to play. In the 75th minute, after Elizabeth Tschudin intercepted a goal kick from Dawkins, she would send a perfectly placed ball past a Falcon defender, leading Emily O'Connell into the Falcon's box. O'Connell would take a touch and fire a shot past the Falcon goalkeeper, who was unable to react quick enough, putting the Owls ahead 2-0 with 15 minutes left to go. Shortly after O'Connell's goal, the Falcons looked to pull within a goal as they would get a pair of shots off; the first coming Adrianna Westcott, that would ring off the crossbar, and the second coming from Brianna Hodgman, that Moritz would make a save on, which would end up being the Falcon's final shot of the match. The Owls would go on to take seven more shots over the final 10 minutes of play, all of which would be on goal, except for one that the Falcon's defense would block. Dawkins would save the first five shots, before the sixth was blocked, and the seventh would find the back of the net, as Joclynn Tyler would send a cross to the front of the goal, from the edge of the Falcon's box, finding the foot of Kinsey Donegan, who would chip it over Dawkins, giving the Owls a 3-0 lead with less than 30 seconds left to play. The score would hold in the end as the Owls would end their 2023 regular season schedule with a 3-0 win over the Falcons.
 
Moritz made four saves in net, posting her seventh shutout of the season. Vaudo made five saves in her 32 minutes player, while Pendleton made five saves and allowed a goal in her 30 minutes played, and Dawkins allowed two goals and made seven saves in her 28 minutes played.
 
When asked about her thoughts on the game and how the team feels heading into the playoffs, Sarah Testo, the head coach of the Keene State women's soccer team said "We played a solid second half, it was nice to see goals by 3 different freshmen. It's good momentum heading into the playoffs."
 
Inside the Box

• Keene State is now 1-0 against Fitchburg State, winning the first ever matchup between the two programs, 3-0.
• Keene State tied their second most shots in a game in their 2023 season with 20 and finished with the third most shots in a game, with 33. The Owls outshot the Falcons 33-7 in the contest and had five corners to three from the Falcons.
• Halligan's goal was the first of her collegiate career, while O'Connell and Donegan both scored their second collegiate goals in the match.
• Kopicko and Tyler each picked up an assist in the match; they are both tied with O'Connell and Dickinson, for a team-high of three assists in the 2023 season.

Up Next
Keene State's next game will come in the Little East Conference Championships. The Owls, currently in the No. 2 seed, can finish from any seed from No. 2 to No. 4, depending on how the rest of the LEC games finish. Check out the graphic below to find out what seed the Owls will have, based on the outcomes of the games! 
Fitchburg State's next game is their last game of their 2023 season, as they will travel to take on Framingham State on Saturday, October 28, at 11:00 AM.