KEENE, N.H. – Grace Krebs scored with 51 seconds left in regulation on Union College's ninth and final shot of the fourth quarter as the Garnet Chargers went on to spoil the Keene State College field hockey team's Senior Day by posting a 2-1 non-conference victory over the Owls on Saturday afternoon at the Owl Athletic Complex to close the regular season for both teams.

Records

• Keene State:  12-8
• Union:  11-7

Postgame Interview (Coach Watson)

How It Happened
Union's first shot of the game did not come until the second quarter, and through the opening three periods they were outshot 13-8, but KSC was under siege in the fourth quarter and eventually could not hold off the visitors as they capitalized on their fifth corner of the final 15 minutes at the most important time.  Owls goalkeeper Molly Edmark, who was one of eight graduating Owls recognized before the game, engineered an impressive performance while getting the start in her final home contest, making six of her 12 stops in the fourth to keep it a 1-1 game.  Among the more standout sequences was when she denied Sophie Ruhl and Demetria Gonzalez – another senior – cleared away Brooke Spiegel's attempt within seconds of each other in the 51st minute.  Edmark also denied Maddie Greco, Union's leading scorer who had earlier tied the game in the third, twice within five minutes of each other.  The game appeared it would need a 7-on-7 extra session to decide things despite Union having three corners in the final two minutes.  However, the fourth proved to be fruitful for the visitors as Greco inserted the corner to Megan Dorsey on the left side.  She mishit her first attempt to get the ball into the middle of the circle but on the second chance did get enough of it to get it to Krebs right in front of Edmark, and she flicked a backhanded shot past the KSC keeper and other bodies in the circle for a 2-1 lead and eventual win.

For Keene State, it was a tough way to end the regular season – and likely a game of missed opportunities.  The Owls scored the first goal and, despite Union tying it five minutes out of the break, had big chances to retake the lead.  Irini Stefanakos sent a long lead pass to Grace Bazin with 3:44 left in the third, which the Owls' leading scorer then fired back to Stefanakos in the middle of the circle wit time and space, but the ball skittered off her stick and the Garnet Chargers' defense recovered and KSC did not get a shot off.  Then, less than two minutes later, Molly Murray found Bazin up the left side and she beat one Union defender to send three Owls – her, Stefanakos, and Kalina Piasecki – in alone on Union keeper Sophie Brady, but Stefanakos did not get enough on her attempt in the middle of the circle for it to get to Brady or Piasecki, who was waiting by the right post.  Instead, the ball trickled over the Bazin, whose lofted shot hit the post and was too high, evaporating what appeared to be a golden opportunity.  The Owls outshot Union 6-3 in the third, but it was 1-1 entering the fourth Greco sent home a nice feed from Dorsey at the 35:30 mark.

Bazin had given the Owls a lead to work with less than four minutes into the second after the opening period saw just two shots (both from KSC).  Stefanakos began the work toward the goal by swiping the ball from Ali Barrett at midfield and charging up the middle.  She tripped as she got near the circle, but Elizabeth Gonyea kept the play alive and, once Keene State was back in the circle, Grace Seabury gathered a ball and put in into traffic, where Bazin was there to beat Brady to the far post for a 1-0 lead.  The score stayed that way until the break, with Edmark stopping Amy Vytopilova three times within 16 seconds of each other in the ensuing two minutes after the goal.  Bazin and Paula Vasiliadis had chances shortly thereafter to add to the Owls' advantage, but two of the three shots went wide and Bazin's in the 24th minute was kicked away by Brady.

Edmark finished with 12 saves in the loss for KSC, while Brady stopped eight for Union, who will be the No. 5 seed in the Liberty League tournament.

Bazin had nine of the Owls' 13 recorded shots.

Penalty Strokes

• KSC finishes the season 6-4 at home (and 6-4 on the road).  They are 4-6 when scoring two goals or less.
• Before the game, the Owls honored Emma Cahoon, Hannah Olmstead, Vasiliadis, Emily White, Gonyea, Gonzalez, Edmark, and Hailey Patridge for their contributions to the program.
• Union had an 11-5 advantage in penalty corners.

Up Next

• Keene State begins postseason action in the Little East Conference tournament semifinals on Thursday, November 2 against either No. 3 seed Plymouth State University (11-5, 4-2 LEC) or No. 6 seed Western Connecticut State University (5-12, 1-5 LEC).  PSU needed two overtimes to defeat the Wolves 2-1 in Danbury on September 30.  The Owls defeated both (PSU 4-2, WCSU 2-1 in OT) in the regular season.
• Union travels to fourth-seeded Vassar College (10-6, 5-2) for a Liberty League quarterfinal on the same night (6:00 p.m.).  The Brewers downed the Garnet Chargers 1-0 in Schenectady in the regular season.