KEENE, N.H. – Junior forward Grace Bazin twice gave the Keene State College field hockey team a fourth quarter lead and only narrowly missed completing a hat trick as the Owls used three goals in the final 13 minutes to improve to 6-0, downing Westfield State University 4-2 in non-conference action Tuesday night at the Owl Athletic Complex.

KSC dominated the game overall, outshooting Westfield 26-6 while earning eight of 10 corners, but the opportunistic visitors twice answered scores by the Owls to keep it anybody's game entering the fourth.

That's when Bazin, KSC's leading goal scorer, took over.  Keene State reclaimed the lead for the first time in the fourth when, in the 47th minute, she used an incredible individual effort to keep a Demetria Gonzalez pass up the sideline inbounds before corralling the ball and beating two defenders and then WSU keeper Emma Gniadek to her right for a 2-1 edge.  Outshooting Westfield 15-2 after halftime, it seemed that might be enough to deliver the victory, but the visitors struck right back less than 40 seconds later when Sadie Stauffer carried up the left side and fired a ball to the far post, where Meredith Higgins had virtually an open cage to shoot at and did not miss to tie it at two.
Keene State answered with two in two minutes shortly thereafter to take control in what turned into a scoring barrage, as the game saw four goals scored in a five-minute span in the fourth after having two combined tallied over the opening 47 minutes.  It was Bazin again who put the Owls in front - this time for good - after a strong rush up the right side featured speed by Meghan Daileanes, who then found Kalina Piasecki in the circle, and passing from Piasecki to find Bazin right in front of Gniadek.  The Owls' game-winning goal scorer needed to make just one touch to get around a sliding and aggressive keeper, lofting a shot past her and into the netting of the cage for a 3-2 advantage.

Unlike the first two, this lead would be added to barely over two minutes later as KSC went in front by two.  The fourth goal of the night came as a result of strong pressure by Jenna Boardman to win possession back before Westfield could cross the half line, which eventually turned into Daileanes charging into the circle from the right side.  She subsequently dished off to Piasecki, and after her initial attempt was stopped by Gniadek, she potted home the rebound with 8:23 left to make it 4-2.

KSC ran out the clock from there, holding Westfield to only one corner in each half and to no shots over the final 9:45 to improve to 6-0 for the first time since 2018.  The Owls have not been 7-0 since 2013, when they scored 31 goals in the opening seven contests including five or more four times.

Despite Keene State's possession advantage, up until the fourth quarter, it was a low-scoring affair.  Grace Seabury, coming off a hat trick and Little East Conference Offensive Player of the Week honors, tallied her sixth of the season just 8:45 in to put KSC up quickly in a first quarter that saw them outshoot WSU 8-0.  However, the visitors' most productive quarter came in the second, when they took four of their six shots and evened the game at one through Leah Pierce in the 21st minute.  The game would stay tied entering the break and for the next 26 minutes.  But the fourth quarter KSC attack awoke, with the Owls having recorded six goals in the fourth of their three home games.

Tonight was only the beginning of four straight at home, with KSC next welcoming the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth (3-5) to town on Saturday (September 21) for a 1:00 p.m. start.  It is the conference opener for both teams.  UMD was crushed by Salve Regina University 6-0 tonight at home in a game they were outshot 45-5.

Irini Stefanakos is now four assists away from tying Keene State's all-time career mark, set by Erin Dallas '10 (42).