After pulling off an upset in the first round of the Little East Conference (LEC) playoffs, Keene State’s Men’s Lacrosse travelled to Western Connecticut State University (WCSU) on Thursday, May 1, for its third consecutive meeting in the playoffs. The Owls, coming in with an 8-9 record, were playing the top-seeded Wolves with a 12-6 record.
Senior goalkeeper Dylan Florian got KSC off to a good start with two saves early in the contest. However, soon after, Florian failed to stop five shots, all resulting in goals in a matter of three and a half minutes. Senior attacker Rex Maccarini was a part of the next two goals in the game. Maccarini assisted junior attacker Jack Ansart on a “man-up” goal, then Maccarini scored one for himself a few minutes later.
To the Owls’ dismay, both of their goals were virtually wiped away as Western Connecticut got two goals before the end of the first quarter to bring its lead back to five.
There was a sense of déjà vu in the second quarter. Not only did Liam Ford score his third goal of the game, but Maccarini also assisted Ansart again, twice. It seemed like each goal KSC would score, WCSU would match. Heading into halftime, the score was 10-4 in favor of Western Connecticut.
In the third quarter, the Wolves struck first. The Owls responded quickly; Ansart scored another goal coming off the Maccarini assist. Then, KSC found the back of the net again with a goal from sophomore midfielder Jake Dubiel. Florian continued to make saves and keep the Owls in this game, but before the final break, WCSU found one more goal to head into the fourth up six goals.
The final quarter of the men’s lacrosse was not a fun fifteen minutes for the Owls as they were outscored 5-1. Ford bagged another goal 90 seconds into the quarter. After allowing that goal, Keene State showed life with a goal from junior attacker Dylan Seymour. The Wolves walked off the field victorious, winning 17-7.
The Owls ended their season in the second round of the playoffs and fell to a talented Western Connecticut State team. They will begin again next spring in hopes of making the LEC playoffs once more.
Carson Flake can be contacted at
cflake@kscequinox.com
