Keene State Men's Soccer Team Set for First Test
KEENE, N.H. 09/8/06 - It’s test time for the Keene State College men’s soccer team. The Owls will host Wheaton College at Owl Athletic Complex Saturday (1 p.m.) in a battle of nationally ranked teams.
KSC is ranked 17th nationally and third in the region while Wheaton is 10th in the national poll and second in New England. Both teams enter the game with 3-0 records.
The two teams, who have made a combined 13 trips to the NCAA Division III tournament, have hooked up in some memorable clashes over the years. Last season, Keene State defeated Wheaton twice. The Owls snapped the Lyons’ 16-game home winning streak in Norton (2-1) during the regular season and later posted a 4-1 victory in a second-round NCAA tournament game at Williams.
“They’re pretty much loaded for bear,” said KSC Coach Ron Butcher. “They thought they were embarrassed last year, so they need to come back and show they can beat us.”
Saturday will be the home opener for the Owls, who won a pair of games at the Rowan tournament last weekend and edged Springfield College (2-1) on Wednesday. Eric Scott tops the team with three goals. Coach Butcher has alternated Peter Kersker and Cal Mintz in goal.
Wheaton’s three wins include shutouts over Fontbonne (Mo.) College (5-0) and Bridgewater State (1-0). Dan Lane leads the Lyons in scoring with three goals and an assist while Matt Pachuniak is the team’s top goalie.
While Wheaton returns a team virtually intact, KSC has had to alter its line- up due to graduation and injuries. Still piecing his line-up together, Butcher has thrown several of his young players right into the fire.
“Our young guys are struggling a bit. They haven’t grasped the competitive nature of college soccer,” Butcher said. “Although they’ve played at high levels, this is far beyond their dreams.”
Is Keene State going to be able to past its first test? Butcher feels it will come down to the individual battles.
“I expect an aggressive, emotional game,” Butcher said. “It’s going to come down to individual match-ups. Whoever wins those match-ups is going to win the game.”
