Keene State set for three-sport showdown against Eastern Conn. on Saturday

KEENE, N.H., 9/24/10 – Keene State’s rival will always be Plymouth State, but when it comes to soccer superiority in the Little East Conference, the Warriors of Eastern Conn. State have emerged as the team to beat. 

Although the season is young, Owl men’s and women’s soccer teams as well as the women’s volleyball squad can make a huge statement with wins over the Warriors on Saturday. The KSC men take on ECSU at home, while the Owl women travel to Mansfield, Conn., for their soccer showdown against the Warriors. Both games begin at 1 p.m. The KSC women’s volleyball team will host Eastern Conn. in a key LEC match at Spaulding Gym (12 p.m.)

“They’ve taken over as our biggest rival,” said KSC coach Denise Lyons. “Over the past few years this game has had major implications in the standings and determined home field for the tournament.”

“Right now Eastern Conn. is the cream of the crop,” said Owl men’s coach Ron Butcher. “We don’t try to build up any game, but it’s always a feather in your cap if you can beat a ranked team.”

After a slow start, the Keene State men (6-2, 1-0 LEC) have regrouped, winning their last three games, including a 2-1 victory over Worcester State on Wednesday.

Ranked 12th nationally and second in New England, the ECSU men (5-1-1, 1-0 LEC) suffered their first loss of the season (1-0) against Trinity on Tuesday. 

The Keene State men have never lost a game to Eastern Conn. in the LEC, leading the series 11-0-4.  However, since reeling off 10 straight wins, the Owls have only one win in their last five meetings, a 4-1 victory last year.  The remaining four games have ended in ties, with the Warriors winning the 2007 LEC championship on penalty kicks. 

“It's a solid team that doesn’t really have a weakness,” said Butcher. “We’ll need to play a near-perfect game to win.”

Both KSC and ECSU women enter Saturday’s game on a roll. The Owls (6-1-2, 1-0 LEC), ranked ninth in New England, are undefeated in their last six games, winning the last three by shutouts. Ranked sixth in New England, the Warriors (6-0-1, 1-0 LEC) come into the game riding a four-game winning streak.

Like the men, the Warrior women’s team has been a thorn in the side of the Owls for quite some time. Since 2005, Eastern has dominated the series, winning eight of the last 10 games, including a 1-0 victory in last year’s LEC final. The two teams also faced each other in the 2003 and 2004 championship games. ECSU won on penalty kicks in 2003 with the Owls coming back to win 3-0 in 2004.

“I think we’ll step up to the challenge," said Lyons. “We’ve been a Jekyll and Hyde team so far this season. Hopefully, we can come together on Saturday and win a big game.”

Not to be overlooked is the KSC women’s volleyball teams’ huge match against Eastern Conn. The Owls (7-6, 1-0 LEC) have won their last three matches.  ECSU, which has dropped its last two matches, brings a 5-5 (0-1 LEC) record into the contest.

Since losing 13 of its first 14 matches against the Warriors in LEC play, the Owls have had the upper-hand in the series, winning three out of the last four matches.

“We’re so pumped to play Eastern.  It’s going to be a big match for us, “said junior setter Laurie Whalen.