Plymouth State University
Keene State College’s (KSC) men’s lacrosse team set the goal for the season with 24 strikes against Plymouth State University and their sixth consecutive win on Wednesday, April 19.
In doing so, the team came into sole possession of the first place title in the Little East Conference (LEC) with a perfect 4-0 record.
The Keene State Owls struck gold with their first goal within the first two minutes of Wednesday’s game. KSC senior Bryan Rotatori started the team off with four goals and one assist. Rotatori only needs four more assists to break Keene State’s all-time assist record of 104.
Following in his footsteps, KSC senior Tyler Reilly scored two goals and four assists.
Shelby Iava/ Sports Editor
Shortly after, KSC junior Hunter Arnold and first-years Dave Wiedenfeld and Rob Hart each added in a hat-trick with Hart aiding two helpers.
The first goal from the Plymouth State Panthers came a little under five minutes left in the first quarter. Mac Tetrault charged past the Owls’ defense to connect with the net. Tetrault ended up with three goals and two assists. His teammate Nicco Sorrentino scored six times with one assist.
However, this was not enough to keep the Owls at bay. The first quarter slid into the second one as the Owls hit five goals in, one right after another. KSC senior Tyler Reilly topped the consecutive lineup off with a goal that brought the score to 9-1 with the Owls in the lead.
The Panthers fought back quickly. Sorrentino passed to Terault and cut down on the point difference, but the Owls struck back hard when both Wiedenfeld and KSC junior Frank Bacarella each scored. Plymouth State did the same and scored two straight goals. However, the Owls held a 14-5 advantage as the game’s break came up.
The Panthers final score was 11, never quite catching up to Keene State. In all, 12 Owls connected with the net while others made saves and lifted ground balls. KSC sophomore Steve Hamal grabbed six ground balls, making it a team-high and KSC junior Matthew Howe completed seven saves. The ending goal was claimed by Wiedenfeld.
On Plymouth State’s side, Adam Haversat scooped up 13 ground balls and Jayson LaRiviere made 15 saves.
The Owls’ next LEC game was scheduled for Saturday, April 22 at 3 p.m. against the University of Southern Maine Huskies.
Dorothy England can be contacted at dengland@kscequinox.com
Southern Maine University
The Keene State College (KSC) men’s lacrosse team continued their winning streak when they out-shot the University of Southern Maine Huskies, 20-2. Junior midfielder Hunter Arnold led the Owls with strong offensive scoring.
Arnold had six goals and one assist, while senior Robert Hart had six points, as well as three assists. Eight other Keene State players also scored goals.
Hart opened up the first quarter with two goals and junior Frank Bacarella had one.
The Huskies managed to get one goal in before the quarter ended by rookie Jake Schoenberg. Keene State had the lead 3-1 at the end of the first.
The Owls scored the first three goals of the second quarter, including man-up goals from Bacarella and junior Paul Beling to bring the Owls up 6-1.
Southern Maine’s Keegan Smith also received a man-up goal for the Huskies, scoring what was their final point of the game.
Hart found the back of the net for the third time with 2:48 left in the half. The Owls remained in the lead 7-2 at half time.
Keene State scored 13 unanswered goals while holding the Huskies without a score in the last two quarters.
Arnold shot all five of his goals in the fourth quarter, and the Owls took home the win and have extended their streak to 38 consecutive Little East Conference victories.
Shelby Iava can be contacted at siava@kscequinox.com