he Keene State Men’s Soccer team took to the field on Saturday,for a crucial Little East Conference matchup against the University of Southern Maine (USM) Huskies on senior day.
Before the Oct. 19 game started, the Keene State seniors were recognized, consisting of forward Ali Alzawar, forward Giacomo Sinopoli, defender Brandon Comire, defender Reed Rampinelli, midfielder Caleb Harmon, defender Dylan Chambers, defender Christian Cinque and goalkeeper Regan Racicot.
The first half had little action, with only two shots on goal recorded, coming from Owls’ forward Giacomo Sinopoli, and Huskies’ Brian Balch, who were each ultimately denied by each team’s respective goalkeeper.
Tempers flared in the remaining 10 minutes of the half, with Huskies’ Samir Sayed receiving a yellow card, and just minutes later, the play was stopped as Owls first-year Jack Corby and Huskies Liam Conneely got into a scuffle that resulted in each receiving a red card and being sent off.
To start the second half, each team played with 10 players. Keene’s attack came out firing, outshooting the Huskies five to zero in the first 25 minutes of play. USM’s goalkeeper made two saves on the five shots, with the Huskies’ defense blocking two and the fifth going wide. Sophomore forward Alex Nicolas had a great opportunity in the 78th minute, however, Bryant made the save and the Huskies moved quickly upfield.
Just 47 seconds after the Bryant save, USM’s Colin Albert found the back of the net on a great solo effort, putting the Huskies up one with eleven minutes to play. The Owls gave everything they could, but eventually came up short.
With this loss, the Owls drop to 4-7-3 on the season and 3-3-1 in the LEC. Keene State remains fourth in the LEC standings, as playoffs approach quickly.
The Owls will travel to Rhode Island College on Saturday, Oct. 26 to face off against the Anchormen at 1 p.m.
Teddy Steinberg can be contacted at
tsteinberg@kscequinox.com
