Owls Net Three Unanswered Goals to Top Women's Soccer, 4-1

KEENE, N.H. - Kaliana Palhof scored a pair of goals to power the Keene State College women's soccer team past Emmanuel College, 4-1, in non-conference action at Owl Athletic Complex on Tuesday night.

Records:

• Keene State: 2-1-0
• Emmanuel: 1-3-0

How it Happened:

Keene State was able to get the ball rolling early on in the game when late in the 23rd minute, the Owls found themselves making some creative passes inside the box, and were able to find Kaliana Palhof at the corner of the goalie box where she was able to slip by one defender and tuck a curling right foot strike into the bottom right corner of the net, giving the Owls a 1-0 lead. Keene State peppered Saints goalkeeper Lexi Gawron with shot after shot within the first 25 minutes of the contest, and made save after save, allowing just one goal through the first 35 minutes of the game.

Emmanuel would answer quickly after the Owls picked up their first goal of the game, as it was one of the captains for the Saints, Natalie Dash picking up her third goal of the early season. Dash was found all alone from 25 yards out and was able to find time and space and beat Owls netminder Abbie Terrinca to tie the game at one. The resilient Owls would fight back just nine minutes later when some excellent breakout passes were issued from the feet of both Jordyn Abasciano and Victoria Reynolds, who then found a streaking Ashley Bates who potted the ball into the back of the net, giving the Owls a 2-1 lead at halftime. 

KSC would bring more of the same energy in the second half as they did in the first half, continuing to put up shots on Gawron.  The Owls put up a total of 22 shots in the game, compared to the Saints' nine. Kaliana Palhof would find the back of the goal in the 62nd minute for her second goal of the game after taking a through ball feed from Amanda Marshall and slipping it past a diving Saints goaltender and into the back of the net, giving the Keene State a 3-1 lead. The Owls would tack on one more goal when Amanda Marshall picked up her first collegiate goal when she weaved by a defender and was able to find the twine giving the Owls a three-goal edge.

The Saints would try to fire back with a few offensive threats, but Terrinca and the back line of defense for the Owls was just too strong and stood their ground. The Owls would take the victory in the first ever meeting of these two teams, 4-1. 

Inside the Box

• The Owls got huge contributions tonight from Kaliana Palhof (2 G), as well as Amanda Marshall (1 G, 1 A). For Palhof, it is her first time scoring multiple goals in a game. For Marshall, it is her first time picking up a goal in her collegiate career. 
• Saints goalkeeper Gawron was kept busy all night by the Owls attack, making a career-high 11 saves on 15 Owl shots on goal. She saw 22 shots total come her way.
• This was the first all-time meeting between these two clubs.  The Saints, a member of the GNAC, were picked to finish fourth in their conference in the preseason coaches poll.
• Senior Natalie Dash scored the lone goal for the Saints in the contest, picking up her third goal on the young season. Dash now has a total of 17 goals in 62 games as a Saint. 
• The four goals surrender by EC marks the first time Emmanuel has given up 4+ goals in back to back games since the opening of the 2016 campaign.

 Up Next

• The Owls will hit the road for five games in a row, starting conference play this Saturday, September 14 at Castleton University.  Kickoff is set for 1:00 pm. 
• The Saints will continue their four-game road trip and make their next stop in Bridgewater on the same day to take on the Bears at 12:00 pm. 

*Release courtesy of KSC Athletic Communications