KEENE, N.H. – The Keene State men's soccer team hosted Western Connecticut State Thursday night at Dr. Ron Butcher Field for the Semifinals of the Little East Conference Men's Soccer Tournament. After the Wolves took a lead from a penalty kick in the 6th minute, Declan Coughlin would tie the game up at one a piece with a penalty kick goal of his own for the Owls. However, that would be the final goals for the Owls on the season as they would not score again and WCSU would pull away and net two more goals in the second half, defeating KSC and ending their season with a 3-1 victory.

Records

• Keene State: 9-6-2
• Western Connecticut State: 14-4-3

Postgame Interview (Coach Schmidt)

How it Happened

Western Connecticut came out of the gates hot, taking five shots in the first five minutes and thirty seconds. The first three shots were on goal, but Keene State goalkeeper, Regan Racicot would save all the shots to keep the match scoreless. After the fourth shot went wide, WCSU drew a penalty in the Owls' box and Kadin Tahlo buried the penalty kick into the back of the net, putting the Wolves up early. Keene State would answer nearly 15 minutes later, as Declan Coughlin would draw a penalty inside the Wolves' box and drill the penalty kick past the diving goalie from WCSU, Zachary Benson, tying the game up 1-1 with 70 minutes left to play. The Wolves would almost score a few minutes later, as Franz Muhaj would get a shot off from inside KSC's box, but Amlyl Aitdowd would block the shot, saving the shot from off the line for the Owls. Just a few minutes later, Ian Mounts would take a shot from the edge of the Owls' box, going over the jumping arms of Racicot, but not reaching the back of the net, as Ali Alzawar would head the ball off the line, keeping the game tied with 12 minutes left in the first half.  Neither team would score the rest of the way, as the score would be tied at one apiece heading into halftime.
 
WCSU would control the second half as they would score a pair of goals, coming in the 56th and 59th minute. The goal that would give the Wolves a 2-1 goal came from a freekick for WCSU near the Owls' far corner flag, as Daniel Russo would send the kick into the box where Tahlo would rise above all the players in the area and connect with a header, sending the ball into the back of the net for his second goal of the game. Tahlo would add another point to his stats just a few minutes later as he sent a pass to Jeffery Norales inside the KSC box, where Norales would chip the ball over the charging Racicot and into the back of the net, putting the Wolves up 3-1 with just under 30 minutes remaining. Both teams would trade shots the rest of the way, with the Owls getting five shots off, but none would even find the target, as they would ultimately fall to the Wolves by a final score of 3-1. 
 
Racicot allowed three goals and made three saves in net, to go with the pair of team saves for the Owls, all the saves coming in the first half. Benson only saw one shot in net in the contest: the penalty kick goal from Coughlin. 
 
Inside the Box

• With the loss, the Owls have fallen to Western Connecticut for the fifth consecutive time in the LEC Tournament, coming in 2023, 2018, 2017, 2005, and 2003.
• Keene State finished the regular season with the No. 2 seed in the conference, their best finish since 2019.
• In the match, the Wolves outshot the Owls 18-11, including 8-1 in shots on goal. The Wolves also had nine corners, seven of which came in the first half, to one lone corner from the Owls in the contest.
• The Owls had not attempted a penalty kick at all in their 2023 season, until Coughlin would attempt one in the match and convert it, good for his second goal of the season. 

Up Next

Keene State's season comes to an end, after a successful 2023 regular season. After being chosen to finish fifth in the LEC in the preseason poll, the Owls led the conference for most of the season, until faltering to RIC and losing their No. 1 seed; the Owls should still be proud with their outcome, finishing the season 9-6-2.
Western Connecticut State plays next against UMass-Boston in the LEC Men's Soccer Tournament Championship at UMass-Boston on Saturday, November 4, at 12:00 PM, with the winner getting an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III men's soccer tournament.