KEENE, N.H. –
Cristian Correa scored just 5:22 into the game to give the Keene State College men's soccer team a lead that was never threatened, and the Owls piled on three more goals in which five career firsts were achieved in a 4-0 blowout of Lesley University in non-conference action Sunday afternoon at Dr. Ron Butcher Field.
Highlights
Postgame Interview (Matt Schmidt)
Postgame Interview (Reed Rampinelli)
Postgame Interview (Caleb Harmon)
After rallying from two goals down in the second half on Friday afternoon to pull out a draw in the season opener, KSC (1-0-1) needed no such comeback 48 hours later, outshooting the Lynx (0-2) 24-2 overall and holding them without a shot on goal.
Therefore, Correa's sixth-minute tally wound up standing up as the game winner. The Owl sophomore, who scored three goals in his rookie campaign a year ago, got on the board in 2024 in relatively simple fashion, as he was fed a lofted pass from beyond half field that he ran onto and beat Lesley goalkeeper Aiden Hendricks, who came well out of the net and watched the ball bounce past him. Correa then had an open net to shoot at from just feet away, and he did not miss.
The 1-0 score would last all the way until the intermission despite KSC easily controlling the play, outshooting Lesley 12-1. Hendricks made four stops, including denying
Claudio Pizzicarola and
Jack DiGiovanni less than a minute apart late in the period.
KSC's lead was tripled less than 20 minutes into the second half as career firsts began to become the main story. First,
Caleb Harmon scored for the second consecutive game after being sent in nearly alone by
Nicholas Henao Vasquez and
Martin Lubunga, beating Hendricks, who again came well out of his net in an unsuccessful attempt to disrupt the play, for a 2-0 lead at the 53:51 mark.
Two Owls teamed up on career firsts for a third marker less than 10 minutes later. Freshman
Owen Candito corralled the ball outside the box on the right side, beat several defenders, and then fired into the middle where
Amlyl Aitdowd was right there to pot his first career goal. The pass, while being partially deflected, delivered Candito his first collegiate point. Aitdowd nearly cashed in again 20 seconds later, but Hendricks came up with a stop. The Lynx goalkeeper also denied
Stephen Kallestad twice in 20 seconds in the 78th minute, but the third time was a charm for the Owl rookie in the 87th minute. The play began with a corner kick taken by
Esteban Henao, who delivered a perfect ball to
Bennett Saxe on the right side of the box. His ball into the middle was then headed home by Kallestad for his first collegiate goal, which also delivered the first-ever helpers for his two teammates and a 4-0 lead with four minutes to go.
Hendricks finished with eight saves for Lesley, who opened their season with a 3-1 loss at Dean College on Friday, in the loss.
Regan Racicot did not need to make a save for the Owls, posting a clean sheet in his 2024 season debut.
After a two-goal performance in his initial game as an Owl, Lubunga finished with a pair of assists. KSC had six as a team in the game.
Keene State has won both all-time meetings after a 5-0 decision last year in Massachusetts. Lesley, now a member of the North Atlantic Conference and directed by interim coach Paul Vasconcelos who also is in charge of the women's team, is coming off a 3-13-1 campaign in 2023.
A three-game road trip awaits the Owls next, beginning with a visit to preseason No. 5 Middlebury College on Wednesday, September 4 for a 4:00 p.m. start. Keene State has lost three straight in the series – the last a 3-1 final at home in 2021 – after winning the previous three.
