PLYMOUTH, N.H. – Junior
Emily Santom (Litchfield, N.H.) scored six goals and Plymouth State University used a 4-0 spurt in the fourth quarter to top Keene State College,13-11, in Little East Conference (LEC) women's lacrosse action at Panther Field on Saturday.
In a back-and-forth contest neither team led by more than two goals until the Panthers ran off four straight to open the fourth quarter, snapping a 9-9 tie. Keene scored twice in the final three minutes to cut into the margin, but junior
Amelia Thomas (Hopkinton, N.H.) intercepted a clear attempt in the final minute to squash the Owls' hopes for a comeback.
Plymouth State goes to 8-3 and improves to 2-0 in the Little East, while Keene State drops to 2-7 and 1-1 in conference play.
The Basics:
- Plymouth State 13, Keene State 11
- Plymouth State (8-3, 2-0 LEC)
- Keene State (2-7, 1-1 LEC)
Top Performers:
How it Happened:
- The Panthers jumped out to a 2-0 lead after freshman Elle Moshier (Stratford, Conn.) converted a free position attempt and Santom got through traffic and beat the KSC goaltender.
- Keene State answered with three straight goals to pull in front, but Santom responded for Plymouth State to tie the game at 3-3.
- The Owls closed out the first quarter with back-to-back goals to lead 5-3 after one.
- Santom buried her 30th of the season after a perfect feed from senior Devon Mello (Laconia, N.H.) and Moshier tied the game at 5-5 after three minutes.
- KSC went up with 8:39 left in the half, but Santom scored consecutive goals to give PSU a 7-6 lead with 1:25 left in the half.
- The visitors tied the game on a free position goal in the final minute and the teams went into intermission deadlocked at 7-7.
- Twice the Panthers went up by a goal, first on a tally from junior Olivia Croke (Norwell, Mass.) and then after freshman Julia Donovan (Antrim, N.H.) found the back of the cage, but each time Keene State answered as the game remained tied heading into the fourth quarter.
- For the second straight game, Plymouth State clamped down over the final 15 minutes. PSU ran off four-straight goals to build a 13-9 lead and the Panthers' defense limited KSC to 0-8 on clear attempts.
- Keene State tried to get back into the game in the final minutes using a pair of late goals to trim the deficit to 13-11, but Thomas preserved the win when she stepped in front of a clear attempt on the Owls' half of the field to allow PSU to run out the clock.
By the Numbers:
- Santom's six goals give her a team-high 33 on the season despite playing two fewer games than the other team leaders. She added four ground balls and one caused turnover to her stat line.
- Moshier's four goals were a career high, while Mello finished with a goal and three assists.
- Croke snagged a game-high five ground balls while Mello led the team with four caused turnovers.
- The teams evenly split 28 draw controls with PSU getting six from freshman Maddie Hunt (Littleton, Mass.) and five from junior Autumn Nelson (Weare, N.H.).
- Plymouth State held a 34-26 edge in shots and a 34-21 advantage in ground balls.
- The Panthers limited Keene to 10-for-22 on clear attempts, including 0-for-8 in the final quarter.
Up Next:
- PSU is off until next Saturday (Apr. 16) when Rhode Island College comes to Panther Field for an LEC clash at noon.
– 30 –
