Eastern Connecticut State University (EastConn) beat Keene State College in a tightly contested Little East Conference (LEC) opener. EastConn held off a late surge from Keene State to secure the 3-2 victory on Saturday, Sept. 13 at Rick McCarthy Field in Mansfield, Conn.
The Warriors, who entered the matchup with an overall record of 2-2 , struck first at the 30-minute mark when midfielder Reid Dowling netted his first goal of the season off a setup from midfielder Sebastian Kadlof. The Warriors extended their lead early in the second half as forward Eliot Melgar scored at the 48-minute mark, assisted by defenders Anton Smith and Noah Page, making it 2-0.
Keene State, who entered the match with a 4-0 record, responded quickly after the second goal, with junior forward Cristian Correa tallying his third goal of the year at the 51-minute mark off a feed from sophomore defender Jack Corby. However, Melgar struck again at the 74-minute mark, this time assisted by Kadlof, to restore the Warriors’ two-goal cushion.
However, the Owls refused to go down quietly. At the 79-minute mark, first-year forward Luke Hartshorn found the back of the net for his first goal of the season, assisted by sophomore midfielder Martin Lubunga, trimming the deficit to one. Despite making 21 shots (including 15 in the second half), Keene State could not find the equalizer.
The Warriors’ goalkeeper proved crucial to the win with five saves, while Kadlof recorded two assists and received a yellow card. Both teams combined for 19 fouls and 15 corner kicks in a physical matchup witnessed by around 300 fans.
Following a Tuesday home matchup against Endicott College, the Owls will look to pile more games into the win column during their Saturday LEC matchup against the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth.
Jonathan Smyers can be contacted at
jsmyers@kscequinox.com
