CASTLETON, Vt. – Both teams had their postseason fates decided ahead of tonight's match-up, but the Keene State College men's soccer team was unable to come out on top in the season finale as the Owls were defeated by the University of Vermont State Castleton 1-0 to wrap up the 2026 season.
Records
- Keene State: 3-11-3 (1-5-2 LEC)
- Castleton: 4-11-2 (2-6-0 LEC)
How it Happened
Owls' senior
Esteban Henao recorded the first two shots of the contest, but the Spartans prevented him from capitalizing on them in the opening 8:10 of the contest as his first shot was blocked and Xander Berthiaume made his first of nine saves of the day. Both defenses and goalkeepers held strong over the next 27 minutes as Berthiaume saved the next two shots he saved, while the Spartans blocked another shot, and the Owls' defense blocked a pair of shots as Matei Farre saved the first shot that he saw in goal for the Owls in the opening half. The final 10 minutes of the opening half KSC pressured Castleton's defense with their best opportunity of the first half, but
Adrian Bueno's shot rang off the crossbar and
Pierpaolo Galardo and
Federico Spagnuolo both had their shots blocked as the contest headed into the half tied scoreless.
Over the opening 14 minutes of the second half KSC outshot Castleton 7-1, but neither team found the back of the net as Farre saved the one shot he faced for the Owls and after Galardo's first shot of the half hit the post, only two of the other six shots for KSC were on goal as Berthiaume saved both to keep the score knotted at zero. Castleton struck first with 25:35 remaining in the contest as Matt Lurie sent a pass out ahead to Owen Hackett through the Owls' defense and Hackett sent a shot low side just past a diving Farre and into the net for the lead. KSC did not record another shot on goal until 14 minutes later when
Pietro Bergozza and
Martin Lubunga both tallied shots on frame 32 seconds apart, but Berthiaume saved them both to preserve the Spartans' lead with just over 10 minutes remaining. Both teams traded chances over the next two minutes as
William Edmunds hit the crossbar on his shot attempt, making it the third time KSC hit a crossbar or post in the contest, while Farre saved a shot from Lurie on the other end of the field shortly after to limit the Spartans' lead as the Owls tried to mount a comeback with eight minutes remaining. The rest of the way Berthiaume made his eighth and ninth saves of the contest, denying Joorge Zaura and Edmunds from scoring as the Spartans held on for the 1-0 victory over the Owls to cap off both teams' 2026 seasons.
Inside the Box
- KSC falls to 8-3-1 in the all-time series, going 0-1-1 in the two most recent meetings after winning the previous five contests by a combined score of 18-5.
- Farre made three saves in net for the Owls, while Berthiaume made nine saves in his shutout for the Spartans.
- Luke Belisle led the Owls on the season with a team-high eight points from his team-high four goals, while Bueno (seven points from two goals and three assists) and Luke Hartshorn (five points from a goal and three assists) recorded a team-high three assists apiece.
- 10 different Owls tallied a goal on the season with Bueno, Edoardo Tambini, Edmunds, Tommaso Brivio, and Spagnuolo all scoring their first collegiate goals. Tambini led the Owls with two of the teams' three game-winning goals as both of his goals were the deciding goals on the season.
- Tommaso Lorrai made 36 saves over his 810:00 in goal in his freshman season for the Owls, while Farre made 31 saves in goal over his 675:00 in goal in his senior season.
- KSC had the edge on shots, 22-6, recording a season-high on shots, along with the edge on shots on goal, 9-4, tying the season-high for shots on goal, while also having a 7-0 corner kick advantage on the day.
Up Next
Keene State heads into the offseason finishing in ninth place in the LEC with five points from a 1-5-2 record in conference play and 3-11-3 overall record.
With the victory, Castleton jumps KSC to finish in eighth place in the LEC with six points from a 2-6-0 LEC record to go with a 4-11-2 overall record.
