PLYMOUTH, N.H. – Senior
Crosby Fay (Thornton, N.H.) scored a game-high four goals and sits just six shy of reaching the 200-career goal plateau as Plymouth State University built an early lead and held on late to top Keene State College, 11-8, in a Little East Conference (LEC) men's lacrosse game at Panther Field on Friday evening.
The teams traded goals over the first six minutes, but it was all Plymouth State into the midpoint of the third quarter. Fay scored three straight goals late in the first quarter as PSU built a 6-1 lead after one. The Panthers continued to tack on, with Fay notching his fourth late in the second for a 9-1 lead, though the Owls got one back with just over a minute left before halftime.
Senior
Joey Loeber (Chelmsford, Mass.) had an incredible individual effort as he ran the length of the field, weaving through traffic before burying his third career goal and sophomore
Aiden Renner (Phillipsburg, N.J.) won the ensuing faceoff and raced down field for a score as the lead ballooned to 11-2. Keene State began to chip away, closing the third with three straight goals, then adding three more in the fourth to pull within 11-8 with nearly four minutes remaining, but PSU's defense and senior goalkeeper
Ethan Schena (Methuen, Mass.), who finished with 15 saves, held strong to preserve the win.
Plymouth State jumps to 8-4 (4-2 LEC), while Keene State evens out at 7-7 (4-2 LEC).
The Basics:
- Plymouth State 11, Keene State 8
- Plymouth State (8-4, 4-2 LEC)
- Keene State (7-7, 4-2 LEC)
How it Happened:
- Senior Aiden O'Loughlin (Londonderry, N.H.) opened the scoring three minutes in, but the Owls pulled even three minutes later.
- Plymouth State would take over from there. Junior Brady Hunt (Billerica, Mass.) restored the lead to spark an 8-0 run. O'Loughlin added a man-up goal before Fay scored three straight for a 6-1 lead after one.
- Renner scored early in the second quarter and Hunt and Fay continued to pile on, extending the lead to 9-1 with 1:38 left before halftime.
- Keene State scored the final goal of the half to pull within seven, 9-2, at the break.
- Loeber raced up the left sideline for a clearance early in the third, then juked past a defender in front of the Keene State bench before attacking the goal for his first tally of the season and Renner snared the ground ball on the ensuing faceoff before storming up field for the quick goal just six seconds later to push the advantage to 11-2.
- Despite the sizeable deficit, Keene State chipped away, using three straight goals to close the third quarter down 11-5.
- The Owls pulled to within three, 11-8, with 3:57 remaining, but PSU held on for the key conference victory.
By the Numbers:
- Fay is attempting to become just the second player in program history to eclipse 200 career goals. He finished with four goals and three ground balls.
- Renner and Hunt registered two goals and an assist apiece. Renner went 12-for-15 on faceoffs and grabbed 11 ground balls.
- O'Loughlin also scored twice.
- Junior Zach Marvel (Raynham, Mass.) led the defense with two caused turnovers.
- Schena finished with 15 saves to earn the win, his seventh game with double-digit saves.
- Plymouth State has won three straight games against the Owls for the first time in 24 years.
- After opening conference play 0-2, PSU has won each of its last four league games.
Up Next:
- Plymouth State wraps up the regular season with a pair of road conference games next week, starting with a trip to Southern Maine on Tuesday (Apr. 22).
– 30 –
