LEXINGTON, Mass. – Completing a season-opening back-to-back, the Keene State men's soccer team would pick up right where they left off after Saturday's opener, as
Mbambi Mbungu recorded a hat trick and added an assist in a 5-0 romp over Lesley University Sunday afternoon at Minuteman Field.
Records
- Keene State: 2-0
- Lesley: 0-2
How It Happened
Keene State would come out on attack early, mustering 11 shots on goal over the first 21 minutes of play, with one shot hitting the post, and Lesley goalkeeper Josiah Williams making four saves in net. A little over 23 minutes into the contest, the Owls struck first, with Mbungu tallying his second goal of the season off a short cross from
Declan Coughlin for a 1-0 lead. Two minutes later, Mbungu would send a pass across the box to
Ali Alzawar, who would shoot a one-timer to put the Owls up 2-0, and they were far from done there. Williams would make two more saves in net, but with 2:33 left in the first half,
Rahul Drukpa would set up Mbungu just inside the top of the box for a shot and he would bury it past the Lynx goalkeeper. Mbungu's two first half goals helped KSC carry a 3-0 lead going into halftime, a period in which the Owls outshot Lesley 20-0.
The Owls did not skip a beat as they started the second half, with Mbungu juking out a defender and arching a shot from outside the box up and over a diving Williams for his third goal of the afternoon, completing the hat trick. Three minutes later,
Giacomo Sinopoli would cut towards the net and receive a perfectly timed pass from
Brandon Comire. With just the goalie to beat, Sinopoli did just that, kicking the ball past a frozen Williams, putting the Owls up 5-0 with 39 minutes to play.
Neither team would score the rest of the way, and it took 53:30 for the Lynx to record their first shot attempt. After subbing in at halftime, Owls' goalkeeper
Eldin Husanovic would made three saves in net down the stretch. Williams made 10 saves and allowed five goals while being under constant pressure.
Regan Racicot played the opening 45 minutes and did not need to make a save.
Inside the Box
- It was the first-ever meeting between the two sides in men's soccer.
- Keene State improves to 2-0 to start the season for the first time since 2019. They won the Little East Conference tournament championship that season and finished 15-7 (6-2 LEC).
- Mbungu's big day brought his season total to four goals and two assists in two games. It was his second hat trick, joining one from October 12 of last year when the Owls downed Castleton University 4-3 on the road. Mbungu has 16 goals in 34 career games, six game-winners.
- Keene State outshot Lesley, 31-3, with 15 shots on goal.
Up Next
- Keene State will travel down to Salve Regina University for their next game on Saturday, September 9 at 2:00 p.m. It will be the first-ever meeting between the teams.
- Lesley visits the University of Southern Maine on Wednesday, September 6 at 4:00 p.m.
