KEENE, N.H. – Senior and national Division III goals leader
Grace Bazin set a new career-best single game mark with four goals while her sister, in her first year, notched her first career multi-goal effort as the Keene State College field hockey team decimated Plymouth State University 7-0 in a Little East Conference contest at the Owl Athletic Complex on Saturday.
KSC (9-3, 2-0 LEC) scored quickly – and often – opening the scoring with two goals in 2:03 within the first ten minutes as both Emma and Grace made it 2-0 just 9:47 in. Plymouth's (4-5, 0-1 LEC) first shot did not come until 15:52 into the game, and the Panthers were completely dominated while being handed their most lopsided loss in series history. PSU has won just once in 25 all-time meetings in Keene, in 2009, and has lost 10 straight overall in the series including in each of the last three league tournaments.
The Owls tacked on three more goals in the second quarter to build a 5-0 halftime lead, including both Bazins scoring within 38 seconds of each other in the final 1:06 before the break. Grace made it a career game by scoring her fourth with a little more than 10 minutes left to make it 6-0, her 22nd goal of the season. She has scored in all but one game this season and her now 67 career goals at KSC rank her alone in fourth on the all-time school list, surpassing Lori Osterberg's 64 from 1987-1990. She is 13 away from tying for second and 23 from matching Sami Smith's 90 as the all-time leading scorer with seven regular season games to go, plus the postseason.
Keene State outshot Plymouth 40-11, including 29-7 on goal. PSU goalie Natalie Merrick made 21 saves, getting peppered all day.
Clara Gorman stopped seven shots in the KSC cage over the opening three quarters before
Molly Diamondstein played the final 15 minutes, not facing a shot. Nine of the Panthers' 11 credited shot attempts came in the second quarter.
Plymouth had entered with wins in four of five after an 0-3 start, but matched a season-high in goals allowed as they fell to Roger Williams University 7-1 at home on September 6.
KSC concludes a four-game homestand with a non-conference game against the University of New England (6-5, 2-2 CNE) on Tuesday night (October 7) at 5:00 p.m.
Story will be updated.
