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Eleanor Folsom Pregame
James Liebowitz
2
Southern Me. USM (12-9, 4-2)
3
Winner Keene St. KSC (13-6, 5-1)
Southern Me. USM
(12-9, 4-2)
2
Final
3
Keene St. KSC
(13-6, 5-1)
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 OT OT OT F
Southern Me. USM 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 2
Keene St. KSC 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 3

Game Recap: Field Hockey | | Christina Cracolici, Director of Athletic Communications

2025 Little East Conference Tournament Semifinal: No. 2 Keene State Defeats No. 3 Southern Maine 3-2 in Sudden Death Penalty Shootout

Eleanor Folsom Makes Career-High 22 Saves


KEENE, NH  –  It took a sudden-death shootout goal but the Keene State College Owls earned a 3-2 win over the University of Southern Maine Huskies in the semifinal round of the 2025 Little East Conference Field Hockey Championship Tournament Thursday night at the Owl Athletic Complex.
 
Keene State's Grace Bazin scored the game-tying goal on a penalty stroke with 13 seconds in regulation and then converted the game-deciding penalty shootout goal to pace the Owls. 
 
Southern Maine senior goalkeeper Eleanor Folsom (Winthrop, Maine) was incredible in goal for the Huskies, making a career-high 22 saves over 80 minutes of action as the Owls outshot the Huskies 41-14 in the contest. Folsom's
 
THE RECORDS
No. 3 Southern Maine (12-10)
No. 2 Keene State (14-6)
 
Today's game 50th meeting between Keene State College and the University of Southern Maine Huskies.  Keene State have won three straight. Prior to a 5-1 loss to the Owls in 2024, Southern Maine had won its last three meetings with Keene State, defeating KSC 1-0 in the 2023 LEC Championship game, 5-4 in overtime in the 2023 regular season, and earning a 3-2 win over the Owls in the semifinals of the 2022 Little East Conference Championship tournament.  The Huskies are 5-5 against the Owls in the last 10 meetings. KSC leads the overall series, however, 34-15.
 
THE GOALKEEPERS:
SM:  Eleanor Folsom (12-10), 80:00, 2 GA, 22 Saves
KSC: Molly Diamondstein, 80:00, 2GA, 5 Saves
 
Defensive Saves: None
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
  • The Huskies got on the board first as sophomore back Julia Elie (Dayton, Maine/Thornton Academy) scored the first goal of her career in the seventh minute.  Inserting the ball in the second of two first-quarter penalty corners for the Huskies, Elie stepped into the circle and redirected a pass from junior Bri Townsend (Newport, Maine/Nokomis) for a 1-0 Husky lead.
  • The Huskies made it 2-0 and took the score into the halftime break as freshman Maddie Niles (Benton, Maine/Lawrence) tucked away her eighth goal of the season with just under 30 seconds until the second quarter expired. 
  • Keene State came out pushing the pace in the second half and outshot the Huskies 8-1 in the 10-2 in the third quarter and had eight of their 24 penalty corners.  However, the score remained unchanged through the frame as Folsom stood on her head making five outstanding saves.  However, with less than two minutes to play in the third, the Huskies were brought down to 10 players on the field after a red card was assessed at 43:16.
  • The Owls were able to cut their deficit to just one goal less than two minutes into the fourth when Kalina Piasecki pushed one past Folsom in the 47th minute.  The Owls had 13 shots and nine penalty corners in the fourth, while Folsom made eight saves. 
  • The Huskies looked like they were going to escape with a 2-1 win late in regulation but the Owls were awarded a penalty stroke with just 13 seconds remaining in regulation. Stepping to the spot, Bazin scored her 37th goal of the season getting her shot just under the stick of a diving Folsom to force overtime.
  • In overtime, the Huskies remained a man-down playing 7v6.  Husky junior Dylan Barr (Phippsburg, Maine/Bath) had a great look at goal for the potential game-winner early in the first OT but her bid went wide, while Niles had her attempt in the 69th stopped by KSC keeper Molly Diamondstein.  Folsom made two more saves in the first overtime.
  • In the second overtime, Folsom made six saves, keeping the game locked at 2-2. In the final 90 second of the second overtime period, the Huskies earned a penalty corner but sophomore Leah Thibodeau (Auburn, Maine/Edward Little) hit the post on her long-range shot attempt.
  • Forced to a penalty shootout both teams ended the series of five tied tied at three made each, forcing a sudden death shoot.  After the Huskies' first bid missed wide, Bazin connected to seal the win for the Owls.
 
INSIDE THE STATS:
  • Southern Maine led in shots 8-4 through the first half, but KSC outshot the Huskies 37-6 in the second half and overtime periods. 
  • In addition to playing the entire fourth quarter a man-down after a third-period red card was assessed, the Huskies played 9v11 for five minutes of that frame as yellow card was also assessed.
  • KSC had a 24-5 advantage in penalty corners in the game.
 
 
UP NEXT:
Southern Maine concludes its 2025 season. Keene State advances to the Little East Conference Championship game on Saturday, November 8. The Owls will face regular-season champion Eastern Connecticut State. The winner will receive the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Championship Tournament.
 
-cac-
 
 
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