NASHUA, N.H. – After 90 minutes of action, both the Keene State College men's soccer team, and Rivier University men's soccer team were unable to find the back of the net as the contest ended in a 0-0 draw.

Records

• Keene State: 6-2-2 (0-2-1 LEC)
• Rivier: 2-4-4 (2-2-1 GNAC)

How it Happened


The first half was slow for both teams on the attack as there were only five shots taken over the 45 minutes of play, with only two of the shots being on target. The first shot on goal in the half came from reigning Little East Conference Offensive Player of the Week for the Owls, Cristian Correa, but the Raiders goalkeeper, Lucas Sades, denied Correa from finding the back of the net for the third time in as many games for KSC in the ninth minute. After Alejandro Quezada had a pair of shots for Rivier go wide of the target, it was not until the 31:50 mark where the next shot on target would come, but Sades would deny Jack DiGiovanni to keep the contest scoreless. "Rivier let us have the ball in the first half with room to play, but when we tried to come forward, they defended well and were hard to break down," said Owls' head coach Matt Schmidt. "As for us, we were more patient with our possessions by attempting to find ways to break them down. Although sometimes we were holding the ball too much or trying to overdo it, which gave Rivier counterattack opportunities."
 
Sades made a save four minutes into the second half to open the action, which led to the Raiders being on the attack with four shots and a pair of corner kicks over a seven-minute span. Of the four shot attempts for RIV, it only resulted in one shot on goal, which Giuseppe Denucce-Simms saved for the Owls after entering the action in the second half. KSC went back on the attack over the next 10 minutes, but Sades continued to make saves with three more saves to keep the contest tied in the 73rd minute. "We were able to get in the attacking half more in the second half and press them back. We were able to keep them locked in there which created good chances on goal for us," said Schmidt.
 
In the final 15 minutes of the contest, Rivier was on the attack as they tried to steal the victory, but the Owls defense held down and Denucce-Simme made another save and the Raiders saw four other shots miss the target as the contest finished in a 0-0 draw. "Eldin Husanovic and Denucce-Simms had a good shutout, while out backs did well to keep a clean sheet," said Schmidt on the defensive performance on the day. "Back to work tomorrow."
 
Inside the Box

• KSC moves to 4-0-2 in the all-time series between the two teams with the draw, having drawn the past two contests after the Owls won the first four matchups.
• Rivier had the edge on shots, 11-8, while KSC was more efficient with six shots on goal (75%), compared to two from the Raiders (18.2%).
• Denucce-Simms finished with a pair of saves for KSC in his second half of action, while Sades finished with six saves in the scoreless draw.
• After having no draws to open the first eight games of the year, going 6-2, KSC has drawn their two most recent contests.

Up Next


Keene State is on the road again for their next contest as the Owls return to LEC play at the University of Southern Maine on Saturday, October 4, at 3:00 PM.
Rivier returns to GNAC play in their next contest on Saturday, October 4, as the Raiders travel to take on St. Josephs (Conn.) at 2:30 PM.