BRIDGEWATER, Mass. - The Keene State College field hockey team used a five-goal second half scoring outburst to knock off host Bridgewater State, 5-0, this afternoon in Little East Conference action at Swenson Field in Bridgewater.
With the win Keene State improves to 10-3 on the season and remains undefeated in conference play with a perfect 6-0 mark. Bridgewater State falls to 4-7 overall and 3-3 in the Little East. Keene is now 14-3-2 all-time versus the Bears as the Owls have won each of the last four meetings.
Bridgewater controlled play in the first half as the Bears outshot the Owls, 12-2, over the first 35 minutes. BSC could not crack Keene State goaltender Vikki Stoessel (Derry, NH), however, as the junior netminder made ten saves in the opening stanza to keep the game scoreless.
The second half was all Keene State as the Owls scored five times and outshot the Bears, 14-1. Junior midfielder Erin Dallas (Marlow, NH) opened the floodgates less than two minutes into the second half as she converted on a penalty stroke attempt.
Sophomore midfielder Leigh Smith (Sanbornton, NH) gave the Owls a 2-0 lead in the 44th minute, and Dallas notched her second goal of the game and ninth of the season less than four minutes later.
Junior forward Carly Benning (Brewster, MA) and senior defender Alyssa Rowell (Queensbury, NY) rounded out the scoring for Keene with Rowell's goal coming off another penalty stroke attempt.
Stoessel made ten saves to record her tenth win and fourth shutout of the season. Stoessel was untested in the second half as she did not have to make a save in the final stanza. BSC sophomore goaltender Katie Weber (Arlington, MA) made six saves for the Bears before tuning the game over to junior Chelsea Bracchi (Pembroke, MA) midway through the second half.
Bridgewater will host conference foe Fitchburg State College on Saturday afternoon at 2 PM. Keene returns home to take on Southern Maine on Saturday at 1:30 in a Little East matchup.