BOSTON, Mass. – The Keene State College women's soccer team opened their 2026 season on the road on Tuesday night, and after an early first goal in the first minute for the Emmerson College (Mass.) Lions, KSC was unable to mount the comeback and dropped the season opener 2-0.
Records
- Keene State: 0-1
- Emerson (Mass): 1-0
How it Happened
Finlee Mills opened the scoring exactly sixty seconds into the contest as she snuck a shot past
Allison Gough, who was making her first collegiate appearance in net for the Owls in her sophomore season. Gough bounced right back 10 minutes later on the next shot that she faced in goal as she saved Ava Darby's shot to prevent the Lions from taking a 2-0 lead. EC continued to apply the pressure the rest of the opening half as they had four corner kicks, to go with two more shots, but neither were on frame. KSC's offense was unable to get going over the first 45 minutes as the Owls were unable to convert on a pair of corner kicks and
Claire Halligan's shot missed wide left of the target as EC took their 1-0 lead into the half.
Michaela DiCiccio opened the second half in goal for the Owls in her first game as a freshman for KSC and saved the first shot she faced 60 seconds into the second half. The Lions offense continued to apply the pressure as Zoe Simmons found the back of the net three minutes later. Just as Gough did in the first half, DiCiccio bounced back, making a pair of saves over the next 17 minutes. In the 70
th minute KSC nearly found the back of the net for the first time this season but the shot from
Elizabeth Tschudin, a First Team All-LEC selection in 2025 for the Owls, rang off the crossbar and stayed in play. Over the rest of the 20 minutes of the contest neither team had a shot as the Lions held on for the 2-0 victory.
Inside the Box
- KSC falls to 0-1 in the all-time series in the first matchup between the two programs.
- Gough recorded one save in net, while DiCiccio made three over their 45 minutes each in goal.
- Along with Gough and DiCiccio, four other Owls made their first appearances with KSC in the contest, with junior Juliana Palhof appearing in her first game as an Owl, while Hailey Goldman, Danielle Ganley, and Riley Hesse all made their collegiate debuts.
- The Lions outshot KSC 8-2 to go with the slight edge on corner kicks, 5-3.
Up Next
Keene State returns home for the first
Denise Lyons '90 Kickoff Classic on Labor Day weekend with KSC hosting the Wentworth Institute of Technology on September 5 at 2:00 PM, and Gordon College on September 6 at 1:00 PM.
Emerson returns to action against another Little East Conference opponent in their next contest as they host the University of Massachusetts-Boston on Friday, September 4, at 6:00 PM.
