Keene State Field Hockey buried in-state rivals Plymouth State University 7-0 on Saturday, Oct. 4, in a Little East Conference (LEC) game. The Owls were coming off a loss to Endicott College, the first home loss for Keene State this season.
The first quarter was all Keene State, outshooting the Panthers 9-0. Eight minutes in, senior forward Grace Bazin opened the scoring with a powerful shot to the back of the net, a Division III leading 19th goal for Bazin. First-year forward Emma Bazin followed only two minutes later, potting a shot from up close and putting the Owls up 2-0 at the end of the first and tallying the third goal of her career.
Senior goalkeeper Clara Gorman made her first save of the game early in the second quarter. Gorman would maintain a shutout, saving seven of seven shots. 40 seconds later, Grace Bazin followed up and put her second goal into the back of the net off a penalty corner, scoring unassisted. Both sides exchanged a total of 11 penalty corners throughout the quarter, with Keene State narrowly leading 6-5.
The quarter closed out with two goals in two minutes from the Owls. Grace Bazin struck first, earning the seventh hat trick of her collegiate career and scoring unassisted. Emma Bazin followed up, scoring off a penalty corner. Emma Bazin was assisted by senior defender Grace Murphy, who earned her first assist of the season.
The third quarter was spent exchanging shots, with a number of close chances by Keene State. The fourth quarter kicked off with a change in goalies for the Owls, handing the net to first-year goalkeeper Molly Diamondstein. Diamondstein did not face a single shot while in the net. With ten minutes left, Grace Bazin put away her fourth goal of the game, a career high, assisted by junior midfielder Grace Seabury. The assist was Seabury’s fourth of the season. The goal was quickly followed up by another goal by senior forward Kalina Piasecki, this time unassisted, to put the game away 7-0.
The victory extends Keene State’s win streak to ten games and brings the rivalry series to 35-10-1 in favor of the Owls. The seven goal margin of victory is the widest in the rivalry’s history, topping the previous five goal margin set in 2006. Grace Bazin’s 19th, 20th, 21st and 22nd goals put her at the top of NCAA Division III in goals scored.
The Owls rise to a record of 9-3, 2-0 in the LEC, and hold onto the number one spot in conference standings. The Owls will find their next opponent at home, playing Eastern Connecticut State University for another LEC game.
Frank LeBlanc can be contacted at
fleblanc@kscequinox.com
