KEENE, N.H.  – Three goals in the first five minutes of the game gave the Keene State College Owls an 8-1 win over the University of Southern Maine in a Little East Conference men's soccer match Saturday afternoon at Owl Athletic Complex.

The Owls, who improved to 11-6-1, and 4-2-1 in the LEC, clinched their place in the upcoming Little East Conference tournament that begins on Wednesday, November 5.  Keene State will be the No. 3 seed and play at No. 2 seed Eastern Connecticut State University.  Southern Maine concludes its season with a 2-15-2 mark, and an 0-6-1 record in the Little East Conference.

Keene State got the ball rolling in the third minute of the game, as sophomore Conor Leahy (Beverly, Mass.) slid in a cross that freshman Riley Steele (Sutton, Mass.) slid in past USM sophomore goalie Elijah Leverett (North Yarmouth, Maine/Greely).   One minute and five seconds later, the lead was 2-0 as freshman Jonathan Pena (Danbury, Conn.) crossed for senior Michael Jacques (Tolland, Conn.) to score.  Steele added his second of the game and KSC's third with just 4:45 to play.

A Southern Maine turnover allowed junior Eddie Mercer (South Hadley, Mass.) to score in the 28th minute, and freshman Promise Kpee (Manchester, N.H.) scored in the 32nd and 35th minutes to give KSC a 6-0 lead at halftime.

Ten minutes after halftime, the Owls made it 7-0, as freshman Cam Rogers' (Beverly, Mass.) cross was knocked down by Steele, who found Leahy for his team high seventh goal this year.

The Huskies' best chance of the game to that point came in the 68th minute, when USM was awarded a penalty kick.  Senior Tyler Rand (Westbrook, maine) stepped up to beat KSC junior goalie Jacob Walker (Chester, Vt.) to the right, but the referee ordered the kick re-taken.  Rand again went right with the kick, but Walker was equal to it to preserve the KSC lead.

USM did eventually get on the board with a clever free kick that allowed Rand to score his fourth goal of the season.

Freshman Aran Devereaux (Hampton, N.H.) rounded off the KSC scoring with a solo effort in the 89th minute.  Leverett made seven saves in net during the first half for Southern Maine.  Freshman Charles Mull (Portland, Maine/Cheverus) played the second half and made two stops. 

Keene senior Mike Ketterman (Monson, Mass.) played the first 66 minutes and made one save.  Walker came on for the final 23 and also made one stop.

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