Four Owl Teams Earn Postseason Berths
KEENE, N.H., 11/6/06 - Four Keene State College teams earned postseason tournament berths on Monday. The Owls’ men’s soccer, field hockey, and women’s volleyball teams will open tournament play at home on Wednesday. The KSC women’s soccer squad will be at the Owl Athletic Complex on Thursday.
The KSC field hockey team will get the ball rolling when they host Wellesley College in an opening round NCAA tournament game at 5 p.m. The KSC men’s soccer team takes the field at 6 p.m. to go up against Lasell College in NCAA tournament action. The KSC women’s volleyball team will wrap up the day with a 7 p.m. ECAC tournament game against Rivier College at the Spaulding Gym. On Thursday the KSC women’s soccer team will defend their ECAC title with a first-round game against Bridgewater State at 4 p.m.
The KSC field hockey team (18-4) will be making its third straight trip to the NCAA tournament. They also earned a berth in 1983 and 1998. The Owls, who clinched the LEC championship with a 2-1 win over UMass-Dartmouth on Saturday, bring a 10-game winning streak into the tournament.
“We’re running on all cylinders and hopefully that will carry over into the tournament,” says KSC coach Amy Watson, who was delighted to hear that her team would be hosting an NCAA game. “We don’t know much about Wellesley, but I’m sure it’s going to be a very competitive game.”
Keene State and Wellesley will be meeting for the first time. Wellesley (15-4) earned an at-large NCAA berth after losing to Springfield College (5-4) in the championship game of the NEWMAC tournament.
KSC won three ECAC titles in Division II (1986, 1987, and 1993).
No stranger to NCAA play, the KSC men’s soccer team will be making its eighth Division III tournament appearance in the past 10 years. The Owls (14-5-1) gained the berth with a 3-0 shutout win over Plymouth State in the LEC finals.
“This team deserves a lot of credit for fighting back and making the tournament this year,” said KSC coach Ron Butcher. “If we stay healthy, I think we have a chance to do well.”
Lasell is making its second trip the NCAAs. The Lasers (15-5) edged Elms College 2-1 in the championship game of the North Atlantic Conference on Saturday. The two teams last played in 2004 when KSC defeated Lasell 7-0 in the Diadora tournament.
The KSC women’s volleyball team will be making its first postseason appearance since winning back-to-back New Hampshire Women’s Athletic Conference championships in 1981-82.
KSC coach Bob Weiner was stunned when he found out his team earned the ECAC berth. “I thought John Ratliff [KSC athletic director] was kidding me when he called,” Weiner says. “I’m so excited for our players. It’s something we’ve talked about since the first day of practice.”
Keene State (24-13), the tournament’s fourth seed, set a program record for wins and advanced to the semifinals of the LEC tournament. Rivier brings a 24-7 mark into the tournament. KSC defeated the Raiders 3-1 earlier in the season in Keene.
Keene State women’s soccer team (14-8) will be looking to defend their ECAC title. They defeated Clark University in last year’s championship game (2-1). The third seed in the tournament, the Owls will be looking to regroup following a 4-2 loss to Western Connecticut in the LEC finals.
“I’m excited that our seniors will get a chance to play another home game and our young players will get tournament experience,” says KSC coach Denise Lyons. “It should be a very competitive tournament and a way to end the season on a positive note.”
Making its first appearance in the ECAC tournament, sixth-seed Bridgewater State (9-6-4) lost to Worcester State 3-1 in the finals of the MASCAC tournament. Earlier in the season, KSC edged BSC 1-0 in Keene.
