Keene State-Plymouth State Soccer Rivalry Renewed on Sunday
KEENE, N.H. 9/26/08 - The Keene State-Plymouth State soccer rivalry will be renewed when the two in-state and Little East Conference rivals meet on Sunday.The KSC women will host the Panthers at Owl Athletic Complex (1 p.m.) while the Keene State men travel to Plymouth for a 1 p.m. game.
Both the KSC (3-3-2, 0-1 LEC) and PSU men (2-5, 0-1) have struggled out of the gate and will be looking for their first conference wins of the season.”The rivalry always get’s everyone excited, but at this stage of the season, we need a conference win,” said KSC Coach Ron Butcher.”The fact that we’re playing Plymouth and have to travel up there will make the task even tougher.”
The men’s soccer rivalry between the two school dates back to the 1958 when the Panthers handed the Owls a 4-1 loss.Since that time, the two rivals have met in some legendary confrontations.Butcher, a former Panther goalie who has been inducted into both schools’ hall of fame, readily recalls an epic eight- overtime game against Plymouth State in 1975 that ended in a 0-0 draw.A week later, both squads clashed in a 2-2 six-overtime deadlock.
Entering Saturday’s tilt, Keene State has a slight lead in the series 30-27-7. Last season, PSU upset the Owls 4-1 in Keene.Since the rivalry was renewed in 1997, when the Owls joined the Panthers in Division III and the LEC, the two teams have met 16 times with seven of those games decided in overtime.
Off to its best start in several years, the KSC women bring a 7-2, 1-0 LEC record into Saturday’s game.The Panthers (2-2-2, 0-1 LEC) have done things in “twos” so far this season.After winning their first two games, PSU has tied a pair and then lost a couple of games heading into Saturday’s contest.
“We’re a very young team this year, so many of the players will be experiencing the rivalry for the first time,” said KSC Coach Denise Lyons.”Regardless of records, we’re expecting a tough game.”
Keene State leads the series 18-6-3.The Owls have won the last nine meetings, including a 5-0 victory last season in Plymouth. The Panther’s last win against KSC (5-2) came in 1998.
