KEENE, N.H. – The Keene State College women's soccer team hosted the Falcons of Fitchburg State University on Tuesday night at Dr. Ron Butcher Field for the Owls' final contest of the 2024 season. Following a scoreless first half,
Christina Sanders scored her first goal of the season in the 49th minute and the Owls came away with a 1-0 victory to wrap up their season.
Records
- Keene State: 7-10-3 (1-5-2 LEC)
- Fitchburg State: 2-11-3 (2-3-1 MASCAC)
Postgame Interview (Sarah Testo)
How it Happened
The Owls' attack was all over the Falcons' defense in the opening half of play, as KSC outshot FSU, 15-4. Over the first 12 minutes of play, both teams traded a shot on target, as they tried to take an early lead. Cassandra Pendleton, the Falcons' first half goalkeeper, saved a shot from
Emily O'Connell in the seventh minute, while KSC's goalkeeper,
Hannah Verville, denied Charlotte Meixsell of FSU taking a 1-0 lead in the 12th minute. Over the next 10 minutes, KSC took five shots, but with a pair going wide of the goal, a shot from
Kaylee Cormier hitting the post, and Cormier and
Elizabeth Tschudin being denied by Pendleton, the Owls came out of it empty handed. After Verville recorded a save on what wound up being the Falcons' final shot on goal in the opening half in the 25th minute, KSC recorded seven more shots throughout the half. Unfortunately for the Owls, the quality was not there, as none of the shots were on goal and the two teams went into halftime at 0-0.
Both goalkeepers made a save to open the second half, first by Verville, then by Madison Dawkins, who entered at halftime for the Falcons. Dawkins save was not as clean as Verville's as she was unable to secure the shot and it bounced right to the foot of Sander, who fired the rebound into the back of the net, to put KSC up 1-0, 3:43 into the second half. Dawkins was able to save the next shot attempt for KSC, coming from Tschudin, while on the other end, Verville saw a shot from Meixsell go over her head, hit the crossbar, and fortunately stayed out of the goal to preserve the Owls' lead. Meixsell's shot was the closest that the Falcons wound up coming to tying the contest the rest of the way, as the remainder of the game, KSC dominated and was on the attack the final 34 minutes of play. Dawkins did all that she could, by saving all seven KSC shots on goal the remainder of the game, but her team's offense was unable to get going. With four minutes left in the game, Coach Testo sent four subs in to replace her four seniors, one last time, as
Allison Yanski, Kate Burzlaff,
Avery Amalfitano, and
Kathleen Mullin, left the field together to loud cheer from the crowd. The Owls held onto their lead the rest of the way in the second half, as they picked up a 1-0 win to finish off their season.
Inside the Box
- With the win, KSC leads the all-time series between the two schools, 2-0, having defeated the Falcons 3-0 in their first matchup in 2023.
- Sanders' goal made her the 11th goal scorer on the season for the Owls. Tschudin, who led the game with three shots on goal, led the Owls across the season with five goals.
- KSC outshot FSU 33-8 in the game, including 13-3 in shots on goal.
- Verville made three saves in net for her first collegiate win and shutout, while Pendleton made three saves in her 45 minutes, and Dawkins made nine saves in her 45 minutes in net, while allowing a goal.
Up Next
The Owls' season concludes with a 7-10-3 record on their 2024 season. Keene State Athletics wishes the best of luck to our seniors in their future endeavors!
Fitchburg State next plays on Friday, November 1, at 6:00 PM, for their senior day as they will host Framingham State University.
