NASHUA, N.H. – Sophomore attacker Connor Woods scored with 2:41 remaining in overtime to give the Keene State College men's lacrosse team its first win of the season, as the Owls defeated Rivier University 12-11 Sunday at Joanne Merrill Field.
 
Records

• Keene State: 1-3
• Rivier: 0-1

 
How it Happened
Keene State trailed for almost the entire game, as the Raiders went up 3-0 early. Down a man, junior midfielder Colby Quiet got the Owls on the board with his first goal of the day at the 7:42 mark in the first quarter. After giving up another goal, senior midfielder Nathan Sickles scored to make it 4-2 Rivier at 5:24. Following another goal by the Raiders, Quiet scored again to make it a 5-3 Rivier lead with 36 seconds remaining in the frame.
 
Keene State continued to keep up with Rivier in the second quarter, as senior attacker Cooper Cioffi set up junior attacker Andrew Miller to make it a 5-4 game at 14:21. Cioffi then assisted Woods on his first goal of the game. But junior attacker Michael Ference scored twice in the quarter for the Raiders to give them a 7-5 lead heading into halftime. Ference finished the first half with four goals.
 
The back-and-forth battle continued in the second half Sickles and Quiet scoring again to tie the game at seven in the third quarter. After a goal by Rivier sophomore attacker Nicholas Tavares, Quiet scored his fourth goal of the game. Both teams entered the fourth quarter tied at eight.
 
Tavares scored 55 seconds into the quarter to put the Raiders ahead 9-8. Keene State responded while up a man with a goal from Miller, with an assist by Woods at 12:56. Ference returned to the scoresheet with his fifth goal of the game at 11:13, before Woods once again helped Miller score at 10:15, tying the game at 10. Ference then scored his sixth goal at 6:26 to make it 11-10 Rivier.
 
The Owls spent nearly the rest of the quarter trying to tie the game. Their big break came with a minute remaining when junior attacker was called for a delay of game penalty for Rivier. Up a man, Sickles sent a pass into the crease for Cioffi. Cioffi then fired the ball into the goal to tie the match at 10. For the first time this season, the Owls went to overtime.
 
Keene State won the opening faceoff but turned the ball over in their offensive half. As Rivier attempted to clear, they lost the ball on a high pass near the midfield line. Miller collected the ground ball to give Keene State a new possession. After moving the ball around the box, Woods navigated his way by a defender before shooting and scoring from outside of the crease to win the game for the Owls. The goal gave KSC their only lead of the game.
 
Inside the Crease

• This is only the second meeting between these two programs. Keene State won the other game one year prior on March 5, 2022, 18-7.
• This is also the first game Keene State won in overtime since March 1, 2022, when the Owls defeated Vassar College 10-9.
• Quiet's four goals are the most scored in a game by a Keene State player so far this season.
• Miller led the Owls in both shots (14) and shots on goal (10).
• Quiet and junior defender Colby Cala both had a game-high 10 ground balls for KSC.
• Junior goalkeeper Charlie Giuliotti secured his first win of the season after making seven saves.

 
Up Next
After 10 days off, Keene State will travel to Davenport, Fla., to take on Clarkson University at Northeast Regional Park on Wednesday, March 15 at noon. Rivier will go on the road to play against another Little East Conference opponent in Castleton University on Wednesday, March 8 at 7 p.m.