NORTH DARTMOUTH, Mass. – 12 seconds is all it took for the Keene State College men's soccer team to find the back of the net, but despite their lead extremely early on, the Owls would allow a pair of goals to the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth over the following 6:31, as KSC was unable to mount a comeback and eventually fell 2-1 to the Corsairs.

Records

• Keene State: 5-2 (0-2 LEC)
• UMass-Dartmouth: 5-2-1 (1-0-1 LEC)

How it Happened

Luke Hartshorn opened the scoring in the contest for KSC with a goal 12 seconds into play for KSC after the ball was loose deep in the Corsairs' defensive half, Hartshorn ripped a shot off a UMD defender that switched directions on its way to the goal and caught the Corsairs' goalkeeper Ethan Donahue off-guard for the opening goal. After the Corsairs' first shot was blocked by the Owls' defense and UMD was awarded a corner, they converted 3:12 after KSC's opening goal to tie the game up at one apiece. UMD's corner was sent into the box where Eldin Husanovic, the Owls' goalkeeper, punched it away and after an Owl defender tried to clear it out of their defensive zone, it found Jack Martin on the edge of the box who ripped a bending shot into the upper right corner of the net for the early equalizer. UMD took the lead 3:21 later as Luke Belisle was called for a handball on a shot inside the box, resulting in a penalty kick that was converted by Mario Rodriguez to put the Corsairs ahead. "It was helpful to get that early goal," said Owls' head coach Matt Schmidt. "Then we went and gave up two set piece goals which was frustrating. We need to be better on those situations; we can't give up goals that way after a poor clearance." KSC tried to respond to draw even over the next 13 minutes, but only one of their shots reached the target, which Donahue was able to save. KSC continued to apply pressure over the next 20 minutes, but Donahue continued to make saves in goal as he made three more saves for UMD. KSC ended the half with a pair of corner kicks in the closing two minutes, but they were unable to get a shot off from the offensive push as UMD took their 2-1 lead into the second half.
 
KSC opened the second half with a pair of corner kicks in the opening 2:04, but they did not amount to anything as their only shot attempt was blocked. UMD tried to open the second half off by adding an insurance goal, but Husanovic made his first two saves of the contest over the opening 10 minutes of the second half. After the 55th minute, it was 24 minutes until there would be another shot on goal and it was once again by the Corsairs as Husanovic made another save to keep the contest 2-1 with 11:30 remaining of play. KSC tried to make a push to mount a comeback in the final five minutes, but they were unable to have a shot even find the target as their last two shot attempts was blocked and then wide of the net as the Corsairs held on for the 2-1 victory to send the Owls to 0-2 in conference play to open the season.
 
"We had the ball and had chances to move and create, but we got stuck on the same side too many times which we knew was what they were looking to do," said Schmidt. "We got caught up in the battle and needed to be more composed and move the ball quicker."
 
Inside the Box

• KSC falls to 20-9-4 in the all-time series between the two teams, as the Owls fall to the Corsairs for the first time since they lost 1-0 on October 22, 2016, at UMD.
• Hartshorn scored his second collegiate goal in the contest, as he has scored two goals over the Owls' three most recent games.
• Husanovic finished with three saves in the contest, bringing his season-total to 12 across his six appearances. Donahue made four saves for UMD for the victory.
• KSC and UMD had the inverse numbers in the shots and shots on goal compared to the women's soccer matchup earlier on the day as KSC outshot UMD 17-10 (UMD 17-10 in the women's game). Despite the shot advantage, KSC was not the most efficient with their opportunities as they shot 29.4% on goal, compared to 50% on goal from UMD as both teams recorded five shots on goal apiece (just as both teams did in the women's matchup). KSC also had a 9-3 corner kick advantage.

Up Next


Keene State returns to action back at home on Tuesday, September 23, at 6:00 PM as the Owls host Fitchburg State University.
UMass-Dartmouth has a week off before their next contest as they next play on the road against Western Connecticut State University on Saturday, September 27, at 1:00 PM.