KEENE, N.H. – Junior forward Irini Stefankos (Fitchburg, Mass.) became the 12th player in program history to reach 100 career points as she finished with a goal and an assist in the Keene State College field hockey team's 4-2 victory over former conference opposition Worcester State University on a sunny and hot Saturday afternoon at the Owl Athletic Complex.
Records
- Keene State: 3-1
- Worcester State: 0-3
Postgame Interview (Coach Watson)
Postgame Interview (Irini Stefanakos)
How It Happened
The Owls bounced back from a loss in their home opener on Wednesday behind Stefanakos and three other goal scorers, controlling the game against the Lancers to the tune of a 15-4 advantage in shots on goal and 18-4 in penalty corners. The goals were not flowing initially, as despite a 12-1 gap in shot attempts in the opening 30 minutes, KSC carried only a 1-0 advantage into the halftime locker room on a goal that
Elizabeth Gonyea scrapped four 7:40 in. Other than that, WSU goalkeeper Madison Ferrara made eight saves to keep her team in it despite KSC having a 12 corner chances, eight of which came in the first quarter.
Ironically, the Lancers generated far more offensive chances in the second half – at one point getting four corners in less than two minutes late in the third quarter – but as that was happening, the Owls were actually expanding their advantage, going up 2-0 midway through the period on Stefanakos' milestone tally. She achieved it by sending a corner insert to the top of the circle and, after effective passing from
Grace Murphy to
Molly Murray to
Meghan Daileanes, tipped home Daileanes' pass past Ferrara. Worcester's only sustained pressure of the day came as the third wound down while down a pair, and even then they did not muster any shots on target, as Zoe Athanasopoulos' had one try go wide and the other blocked, and Megan Goodwin also had a shot snuffed out before it got in on KSC goalkeeper
Clara Gorman, who in the end only needed to make two saves.
Carrying a 2-0 lead into the final 15 minutes, as
Demetria Gonzalez passed to
Emma Cahoon traveling up the left side. She then found Stefanakos lingering to the left of Ferrera, and the sophomore forward added on her 101st career point when she dished a nice pass to
Grace Bazin, who beat Ferrara to the right side for a goal that made it 3-0 with 9:21 to go.
Worcester State spoiled the shutout on a marker by Natalya Morin in the 54th minute, though Murray answered right back with a score at the 55:46 mark to restore a three-goal edge. After seeing a rare miss of a penalty stroke early in the game when the Owls were struggling to take advantage of chances, the KSC junior made good, rifling home a cross-circle pass from
Hannah Wood in the fourth with less than five minutes remaining to make it 4-1. Athanasopoulos, who had three of the Lancers' 10 shots, set the final margin with a goal with less than two minutes remaining.
Gorman improved to 2-1 in the two-save effort. Ferrara finished with 11 stops, helping her team in the game, but WSU remained without a win and has three goals in three games.
Penalty Strokes
- KSC improved to 16-2 against the Lancers in Keene (24-6 overall in the series).
- Stefanakos needs six more points to join the ranks of the top ten in career marks in that category in school history, and give more goals to do the same.
- The Owls are 6-2 when Murray scores a goal in her career.
Up Next
- Keene State finishes a three-game homestand against No. 10 Amherst College (1-1) on Tuesday, September 12 at 6:30 p.m.
- Worcester State hosts Westfield State University (2-2) in a MASCAC contest on Friday, September 15 that begins at 7:00 p.m.
