KEENE, N.H. – Following a pair of goals from the Owls in the first half, including freshman
Kylie Rapoza's first collegiate goal for the Keene State College women's soccer team, the Owls' lead was stolen in the closing minutes following a very late penalty kick call, resulting in the University of Southern Maine tying the game in the final three minutes for a 2-2 draw.
Records
- Keene State: 3-4-6 (0-0-4 LEC)
- Southern Maine: 4-6-1 (1-1-1 LEC)
Postgame Interview (Coach Testo)
How it Happened
Both teams started out the contest with plenty of shots as USM had four shots over the first 11:15 of action, but of the two that were on goal, Owls' goalkeeper,
Riley Andriski, saved both attempts from the Huskies. After the Owls had three shots over the same time span, but had all miss the target, they capitalized on their next shot as
Allison Kenyon sent a cross to the center of the Huskies' box, where
Kylie Rapoza sent a one-timer on goal and into the back of the net to put KSC up 1-0 in the 13th minute from her first goal as an Owl. Shortly after in the 17th minute, the Huskies were awarded their first of three penalty kicks in the contest. Meghan Przybilla converted on the ensuing penalty kick for USM to tie the contest up at 1-1. KSC continued on the attack over a five-minute span shortly after USM's tying goal as they fired off seven shots, but Halle Brown, the Huskies' goalkeeper, saved the three of the shots that were on target for the Owls. Andriski tallied her third save of the day for KSC soon after, which led to another KSC push on the opposing side, where after one save from Brown, KSC was able to tack on their second goal of the day with under seven minutes remaining in the opening half. After
Mikayla Ryan sent a corner kick into the Huskies' box, Bridgette Toland came in trying to clear the corner kick, but the ball went right off her and into her team's net as KSC took a 2-1 lead in the 39th minute. Neither team had another opportunity the remainder of the opening half as the Owls took their 2-1 into halftime.
USM looked to draw even 3:40 into the second half as they were awarded their second of three penalty kicks, but Andriski came up huge and made the save on Kadynne Smith to preserve the Owls' lead. KSC looked to add an insurance goal over the next 10 minutes, but with Brown making three more saves, a pair of shots miss the target, and
Allison Kenyon's shot hitting off the crossbar, they were unable to score the third goal of the day as the contest started to near the 60th minute of action. The next scoring opportunity came for USM to draw even in the 77th minute as Riley Reitchel was able to make her way through the Owls' defense from a pass sent ahead into KSC's box, but
Giuliana Stolfi (who played a full 90 minutes for the eighth of 12 games on the season), locked her down by making a slide tackle to kick the ball away and keep the Owls' lead for the moment. Reitchel had another scoring opportunity with under six minutes remaining on another breakaway, but this time she was able to get a shot off in the Owls' box, but Andriski stuffed her to make the save as the Owls remained ahead a goal late in the contest. Following a pair of corner kicks shortly after, USM had the ball in the KSC box again, but after an Owl defender clearly and cleanly poked the ball free from Cierra Hill, but the ref once again awarded the Huskies a penalty kick for their third of the day. Przybilla took the shot for the Huskies and after it looked like Andriski got revenge from the earlier penalty goal, the ball slipped through her hands on the shot and trickled past the line for a goal with 3:22 remaining. The rest of the contest, neither team was able to find the back of the net as the two teams played to a 2-2 draw.
Inside the Box
- KSC moves to 22-5-3 in the all-time series between the two teams, as the Owls had a huge bounce back compared to their 7-1 defeat to the Huskies in 2024.
- KSC's attack applied pressure throughout the day as they outshot USM 29-16, including an 8-7 shot on goal advantage, while USM had a 4-3 corner kick advantage.
- Andriski made five saves on the day, including her save on the penalty kick.
- Rapoza's first goal of her collegiate career in the contest makes her the third freshman for the Owls to tally their first goal with the program, alongside Kayla DiPasquale and Mikayla Ryan.
Up Next
Keene State has a long week to regroup as they look for their first LEC win as they head back on the road on Saturday, October 11, at 2:00 PM at Rhode Island College.
USM returns to action in less than 24 hours as they host No. 13 Williams College on Sunday, October 5, at 1:00 PM for their first of four consecutive home games.
