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KEENE STATE OWLS
Men's Soccer Postgame 8.30.2024
3
Rivier RIVIER (0-0-1)
3
Keene State KSC (0-0-1)
Rivier RIVIER
(0-0-1)
3
Final
3
Keene State KSC
(0-0-1)
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Rivier RIVIER 2 1 3
Keene State KSC 1 2 3

Game Recap: Men's Soccer | | Kyle Biermann, Sports Information Assistant

Owls Survive Raiders Scare Thanks to Two Late Lubunga Goals

KEENE, N.H. – The Keene State College men's soccer team kicked off their 2024 season by hosting Rivier University at Dr. Ron Butcher Field on Friday afternoon. In the back-and-forth game, a pair of late goals from Keene State freshman, Martin Lubunga, helped pull KSC to even and end the day with the 3-3 draw after the 90 minutes of play.

Records
  • Keene State: 0-0-1
  • Rivier: 0-0-1
Postgame Interview (Coach Schmidt)
Postgame Interview (Martin Lubunga)

How It Happened
KSC took the first three shot attempts of the contest, with the first going wide and the second being stopped by Rivier's goalkeeper, Logan Clough. The third shot came off a free kick from Caleb Harmon, 15:44 into the contest, as he sent a bending shot that found the back of the new red and white netting to put the Owls ahead early. 4:36 later, the Raiders drew even as Thomas Hennessey and Thomas Lanzillo picked up an assist on Logan Rockwood's tying goal. Rivier netted the next goal, as well, after a pair of saves in net from Clough eventually led to Hennessey putting the Raiders up by one with 1:11 remaining in the opening half and RU held the lead heading into halftime as they looked to take down the Owls for the first time in program history.
 
The Owls looked to draw even early in the second half, but once again, Clough made a save in net that led to another goal from Hennessey shortly after, to give the Raiders the 3-1 lead with 26:07 remaining. A minute later, Owls' goalkeeper, Eldin Husanovic, made his first save of the day on a shot from Ryan Hadouche to prevent the Raiders' lead from further increasing. Lubunga scored his first goal of the game at the 69:42 mark, as Amlyl Aitdowd sent a free kick to Alex Nicolas in Rivier's box, who passed it across to Lubunga for the header to pull KSC within a goal. Both teams continued to trade possessions through the remainder of the half, and it looked as if the Raiders might pick up the win, until Lubunga got another chance to find the back of the net in the closing minutes. At the 85:33 mark, Nicolas received a pass in the Raiders' end, from Ali Alzawar, and then sent it across Rivier's box to Lubunga. After taking a touch, Lubunga fired a shot on goal and thanks to a lucky deflection by the Raiders' defender, found the back of the net to tie the game up at three apiece. In the closing few minutes, each team was able to get one more shot attempt off; Cody Sicard's attempt for RU went wide of the net, while Harmon's last minute shot was saved by Clough, which cemented the 3-3 draw in the contest.
 
Inside the Box
  • In the fifth ever matchup between the two teams, Keene State moved to 4-0-1, as they allowed their first ever goal to Rivier in the contest, compared to their 11 goals scored over the five games.
  • The Owls kicked off their season with a tie for the first time since 2021, when they tied 0-0 in 2OT against Roger Williams University.
  • Hennessey led all scorers with five points, from a pair of goals and an assist.
  • Lubunga led KSC with four points, from a pair of goals in just his first game as an Owl, while Nicolas added two points from a pair of assists.

Up Next


Keene State returns home for their next contest, as they will host Lesley University on Sunday, September 1, at 4:00 PM.
Rivier take on another LEC opponent in their next contest, as they will host Plymouth State University on Tuesday, September 3, at 7:00 PM.
 
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