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WILLIAMSTOWN, Ma – Keene State junior Alex Horne's
sensational goal in the 68th minute propelled the Owl's to a 1-0
victory over the previously undefeated Williams College Ephs,
Wednesday at Cole Field.
The Ephs (4-1-1), who were playing without four players
–three of which are starters, suffered their first loss since
last years NCAA quarterfinal game.
Despite playing short-handed, the Ephs didn't appear to miss a
beat in the initial 20 minutes of the first half. With veteran
junior forward Peter Gordon anchoring the offense by creating
multiple scoring opportunities off of his slashing runs and
accurate crosses, and junior backer Will Jaquiss, in his first
start of the season, distinguishing himself on defense.
The Ephs seemed poised to score on several opportunities, most
notably when freshman forward Charles Romero's cross found Owl
Keeper Cal Mintz out of position, but just barely missed junior
midfielder Dan Curbelo-Ziedman's diving attempt.
Ephs coach, Mike Russo, systematically tested his roster trying to
find the right combination to offset his missing players, using 20
of his 24 available players in the first half alone. Keene State
(3-4-2) was able to respond to the inexperienced Ephs, and
eventually succeeded in taking the play out of their half and into
the midfield and beyond, effectively balancing the contest and
earning some much needed momentum.
The Owls carried the momentum into the second-half and turned the
table on the Ephs, with aggressive play that harassed and pressured
in a way that was absent in the first half. The Ephs on the other
hand, lacked intensity and seemed uncharacteristically flat.
The Owl offense kept up the pressure, systematically creating
excellent chances but were unable to break the Ephs, who held
tough, even surviving what looked like a sure goal, when Keene
State midfielder Ben Allenet broke away from the defense only to
have his wide-open shot hit the side-bar in the 58th minute.
However, the Owls would not be denied and scored the game winning
goal ten minutes later when Alex Horne fielded fellow forward Pelse
Mesa's cross at the top of the key turned around and rifled a line
drive to the upper right corner of the net.
The Ephs finished the game with frantic impassioned play,
highlighted by the gusty determination and leadership of senior Kit
Fuderich who relentlessly hounded the ball, even flying down from
his forward position to support an embattled defense on several
occasions. However, the Ephs ultimately lacked the spark that has
so often triggered their trademark second-half surges, and were
unable to even the score.
"Keene State is one of the best teams in New England. They were
really all over us in the second-half, and had us chasing shadows."
Remarked Russo, "We just need to pick up the pieces and move
on."
The Ephs next travel to Hartford to play conference foe Trinity,
Saturday the 29th.
