Keene State Field Hockey defeated the Eastern Connecticut State University Warriors (Eastern) 4-3 on Saturday, Oct. 17, in Mansfield, Connecticut, earning an important Little East Conference (LEC) victory and improving to 2-2 in conference play.
The Owls got off to a fast start, scoring three goals in the first half. Senior midfielder Elyse Picard assisted senior forward Meghan Daileanes on the opening goal just 2:07 into the game. First-year forward Henley Gilstrap extended the lead to 2-0 at 10:24, scoring off a penalty corner assisted by sophomore midfielder Emma Bazin.
Picard added the third goal at 23:53 to give Keene State a 3-0 advantage at halftime.
Eastern responded early in the third quarter, scoring at 33:49 to cut the deficit to 3-1. However, Gilstrap answered less than two minutes later, redirecting a pass into the cage to restore the Owls’ three-goal lead. Gilstrap recorded her 14th goal of the season, continuing an impressive first year with goals in 10 different games.
The Warriors made a late push in the fourth quarter, scoring twice to narrow the gap. The Owls held on through the final minutes to secure the win.
First-year goalkeeper Tori Kelly made eight saves to help Keene State withstand the comeback. The Owls finished with 11 shots and 10 penalty corners, converting three corner opportunities into goals during the first half.
The victory moved Keene State into a tie for third place in the LEC standings with Western Connecticut State University, although WestConn holds the head-to-head tiebreaker.
The Owls return home Saturday, Oct. 24, to face University of Massachusetts Boston for another LEC game at 4 p.m.
Lauren Bender can be contacted at
lbender@kscequinox.com
