Keene State Laxmen Head to East Conn., GAME TO BE BROADCASTED LIVE

KEENE, N.H. 4/14/10 – Keene State’s rivalry with Plymouth State might be noted for its historic and highly-competitive athletic contests between the two in-state schools, but when it comes to men’s lacrosse, the Warriors of Eastern Connecticut State have supplanted the Panthers as the Owls’ No. 1 nemesis.

Keene State and Eastern Conn. renew their men’s lacrosse rivalry on Friday night when the Owls visit the Warriors for a 6 p.m. game under the lights at the Warriors’ Mansfield Outdoor Complex.

“It’s a big rivalry game,” said KSC Coach Mark Theriault. “Both teams know there’s a lot riding on the outcome.”

Keene State (5-5, 2-0 LEC) and Eastern Conn. (7-2, 2-0 LEC) along with Western Conn. (4-6, 2-0 LEC) are the only remaining undefeated teams in Little East Conference play.  The winner of the regular-season game between the Owls and Warriors typically has the upper hand in earning the LEC regular-season title and home field for the conference tournament.

“Before the season starts, this is the No. 1 game on your mind,” said senior midfielder Jamie Lesage.

“I’m looking for revenge.  I’ve only beaten Eastern once since I’ve been here,” said senior middie Riley Benson.  “When I talk to past players they say if you do anything this year, just beat Eastern.  That’s my goal.”

Keene State has played a strong out-of-conference schedule that includes games against No. 8 Conn. College and No. 9 Geneseo State.  “If we play like we did against Conn. College (a 12-11 loss), I think we’ll come out on top,” said Lesage.

The Owls offense is led by the trio of sophomores Griffin Meehan (31-17-48) and Matt Schairer (27-11-38), and freshman Taylor Jette (20-10-30).  Senior Kyle Barnett, the LEC’s defensive player of the week, anchors the backline while freshman Jason Lesser has taken over as the teams’ top goalie.

Ranked 10th in New England, Eastern Conn. has won 16 straight LEC regular season games.  Like the Owls, the Warriors have been tested, playing a schedule that includes top-ranked Salisbury State (a 20-6 loss). Junior Grant Albertson (25-11-36) leads the team in scoring.

“We match up with them pretty well,” said Theriault.  “We have to make sure we stay out of the penalty box and don’t make many mistakes.”

The KSC-ECSU rivalry took a while to get going. When the Owls began varsity play in the spring of 1998, they were easy fodder for the Warriors. Eastern outscored KSC 122-19 in the teams' first six meetings, but the scoring deficit gradually diminished over the years. KSC and ECSU met in the 2003 and 2004 LEC finals, with the Warriors winning each time. The tide turned in the Owls favor in 2005 when they defeated Eastern in the regular season and tournament championship to earn their first NCAA berth. The two teams traded titles with ECSU winning in 2006 (14-12) and KSC prevailing in 2007 (18-6). Both teams were semifinal upset victims in 2008.

Last season, Eastern defeated Keene State 14-10 during the regular-season and clinched its sixth conference crown with a 12-8 victory over the Owls in the LEC tournament championship game.

Home field has been crucial to each team's success.  Keene State has yet to beat the Warriors on their home turf, a span that includes 11 games. 

The Owls hope that Friday’s game, played on the Warriors' new turf field at the Mansfield Outdoor Complex, will be a good omen.  “I didn’t like their grass field, so the turf evens the playing field a little bit,” said Barnett.  “Regardless of the field, we have to be ready to play.”

The game will be broadcasted live with an audio feed courtesy of Eastern Connecticut sports information. You can listen in on the action by clicking here or by pasting the link below into your web browser.

http://www.easternct.edu/wecs/ECSUWarriorSports.htm