Keene State’s Field Hockey team lost its Little East Conference (LEC) game with the Plymouth State University (PSU) Panthers 2-1 on Friday, Oct. 2. Keene State entered the game with a 7-3 record overall on the season, and 1-0 in LEC games, coming off a 2-1 overtime loss against Endicott College.
Things did not start off well for the Owls, as just five minutes into the game the Panthers scored to take the lead. Sophomore midfielder Emma Bazin made up 2 of Keene’s shots in the first period, though one was blocked and the other missed wide. The second period of the game didn’t bring any further success. The Owls were outshot 6-9 during this time, though while under pressure, first-year goalkeeper Tori Kelly made 7 saves in the second period, but her luck ran out. With barely a minute left in the half, the Panthers delivered, unknown to Keene, the game-sealing goal to end the first half of the game, making it 0-2.
Coming out of halftime, Keene put pressure on the Panthers with 8 shots across the third period. Of those shots, 4 were blocked by PSU goalkeeper Natalie Merrick, who had 13 total saves on the day, which essentially shut down Keene for the entire game. The third quarter remained a stalemate between the two teams, with no one managing to score throughout. The Owls found momentum right out of the gate in the fourth period, with sophomore forward Lucy Dickenson making a goal, her second of the season, to make it a one-score game and giving Keene a chance to tie or score again to win. The Owls kept up the pressure, having another 8 shots made in this period. However, like a repeat of the previous one, none of the shots connected for a goal. 5 of the 8 shots were saved. The Owls made attempts in the closing minutes to tie the game, but nothing came of it and the game ended with a final score of 1-2 in favor of PSU.
With the loss here, Keene moves to 7-4 on the overall season, and 1-1 in the LEC. For their next game, they head out on the road once again, this time to Biddeford, Maine, to play the University of New England on Tuesday, Oct. 6.
Nathan Eliopoulos can be contacted at
neliopoulos@kscequinox.com
