KEENE, N.H. – Senior standout forward Grace Bazin scored two goals including the 50th of her Keene State College field hockey career with just under 10 minutes to go as the Owls grinded out a 2-1 victory over Colby-Sawyer College in non-conference action Wednesday night at the Owl Athletic Complex.

Postgame Interview (Grace Bazin)...coming soon
Postgame Interview (Coach Watson)...coming soon

KSC (2-0) saved their best for late, outshooting the Chargers (0-1) 11-2 in the final period including netting the game-winner when Grace Murphy moved up the right side and sent a nice pass up to Bazin as she entered the circle, after which the Owl senior weaved past a defender and backhanded a shot to the far post past aggressive CSC goalkeeper Ashlee Blashock who unsuccessfully tried to break up the play by venturing far out of her cage.

Blashock was otherwise the story of the game for the Chargers, making 11 saves while allowing just two goals.  She made two saves in the fourth prior to Bazin's go-ahead tally, and then kept it 2-1 by stopping a bid from Meghan Daileanes in the 52nd minute, Bazin in the 57th minute, and Belle Hemond with a little over a minute to go.  However, KSC stymied Colby-Sawyer's offense over the final 15 minutes, limiting them to just one corner and two shot attempts that went wide.

Clara Gorman also came up big for the Owls, making seven stops including three within 30 seconds of each other late in the third quarter to keep it a 1-1 game.  She charged out and made a sliding denial of a developing Colby-Sawyer chance with a little over a minute to go in the period and then 10 seconds later came out to stop a bid from Brooke Farquhar, who then lofted a second chance well over the cage.  Those proved to be among the last grade-A chances the Chargers had, managing just seven shots total in the other three quarters after six in the third.

It seemed early on, the Owls might have their way offensively, as Bazin scored less than three minutes in after taking a pass from Lilah Carr midway into the circle before shielding the ball from defenders and firing a backhand into the netting on the far post to give KSC a 1-0 lead.  Blashock stopped a bad-angle try from Grace Seabury a little over a minute later, but that proved to be the Owls' last shot attempt of the half as the Chargers controlled the rest of the action heading into the locker room.  KSC staved off three penalty corner chances for the visitors over the final 10 minutes of the opening quarter to maintain a 1-0 lead through one.  Colby-Sawyer tied it only 2:28 into the second, however, when Jillian Fredette was in the right place at the right time to pounce on a bouncing ball in the middle of the circle and fired it past Gorman for a 1-1 tie.  Gorman then made a pair of stops over the remainder of the quarter and KSC vanquished one other CSC corner chance to keep it even heading into the break.

For Bazin, it proved to be a milestone night in her decorated Owl career after transferring from the University of New England.  Her five goals in two games this year have moved her into a club of just nine others in program history to have 50 goals with KSC, including 2025 graduate Irini Stefanakos (63 goals from 2021 through 2024).  Sami Smith is the program's all-time leading goal scorer with 90, while Nina Bruno is in second with 80 goals.

Keene State returns to action on Saturday to complete an opening three-game homestand when they welcome Worcester State University (0-2) for an 11:00 a.m. start.