Keene State Field Hockey played an electric match against the University of Southern Maine (USM) Huskies in front of a packed audience on Thursday, Nov. 6, beating USM 3-2 to advance to the Little East Conference (LEC) championship. The match was a rematch of both Keene State and USM’s final regular season game, won by the Owls 3-1. The game was decided after two overtimes and a shootout; the first shootout win for the Owls since 2018.
The match opened with a battery of shots from USM, leading to an early goal given up by first-year goalkeeper Molly Diamondstein. Diamondstein made five saves on seven shots on goal in her first career playoff appearance. USM received its first caution of the game with five minutes left in the first quarter, the first of many in the match. Near the end of the second quarter, with only 26 seconds remaining, USM scored a second goal to go up 0-2 on the Owls right before halftime.
Coming out for the third quarter, it was all Owls, with Keene State registering ten shots to USM’s two. The Owls also shot eight penalty corners to USM’s one. Despite the attempts, the Owls came out of the third empty-handed and entered the fourth quarter down two goals. During a goal line scuffle, USM received a red card for foul play and one player was ejected from the match.
One minute into the fourth quarter, senior forward Kalina Piasecki notched the Owls’ first goal in 46 minutes of play, making the score 1-2. The unassisted goal was Piasecki’s fourth goal of the season. The Owls hustled to score a second goal to force the game into overtime. A yellow card received by USM cut the already shorthanded Huskies to eight players, giving Keene State a golden opportunity. Despite the effort, the Owls did not convert the penalty.
With thirteen seconds left in the game, the Huskies fouled the Owls inside the circle and Keene State was awarded a chance to survive with a penalty stroke. Senior forward Grace Bazin lined up and fired a shot into the back of the net to tie the game. The goal was Bazin’s record-breaking 37th goal of the season, beating the record previously set by Sami Smith in 2016.
The game continued in overtime, played in frigid, windy 30 degrees Fahrenheit weather. The seven-on-seven sudden death overtime began with a near miss by USM. The more open field forced both teams to play more conservatively, and a series of traded penalty corners gave both sides scares. USM put on a goaltending clinic in overtime, saving eight shots on goal and facing 12 shots across the two ten minute overtime periods. A USM shot late in the second overtime hit the post, nearly sailing into the net and ending the game.
The game proceeded to a penalty shootout, the first playoff shootout since 2005 for the Owls. After five rounds, the shootout was tied 3-3, proceeding to one last penalty stroke. After USM missed its shot, Bazin scored to end the game and put Keene State in the LEC championship.
“That was crazy. Doesn’t get any closer than that,” said Head Coach Amy Watson. “At this point, the hay’s in the barn, right? We just have to go out there and do what we do.”
The Owls moved on to face Eastern Connecticut State University (ECSU) in the LEC championship, winning 1-0. The lone goal was scored by junior forward Meghan Daileanes, her 11th of the season. A shutout by Diamondstein kept the Owls ahead for the win.
With the win at ECSU, Coach Watson earned her 514th career victory. Watson will not return as head coach after the 2025 season, according to previous reporting from the Equinox. “We knew we had a lot of players leaving this year and that was something at stake,” said junior midfielder Grace Seabury. “I think coach wanted to end her season on a high note, where she’s happy with us.”
With the two wins, the Owls earned their 16th title in LEC field hockey, a record for the conference. Keene State moved onto an LEC tournament record of 54-11 all-time. For a second year in a row, Keene State also earned a bid to play in the NCAA DIII Championship. The Owls will face off against the No. 8 Endicott Gulls.
Daileanes feels excited about the match. “Honestly, we have nothing to lose going into that game. They are a really good team, but we played a really good game against them,” Daileanes said. “They are the higher-ranked team, but we have some grit on our team.”
Frank LeBlanc can be contacted at
fleblanc@kscequinox.com
