KEENE, N.H.-Two goals from Kayla Renaud lifted the Keene State Owls field hockey team to a 4-1 win over visiting Worcester State Lancers in the Little East Conference opener for both teams.

The Owls snapped a two game losing streak and improve to 2-2, and 1-0 in the LEC. The Lancers are 1-3, and 0-1 in LEC play.

Keene State was down 1-0 at halftime, but a four goal second half maintained Keene State's dominance over the Lancers, having now won 17 of the 19 all-time matchups between the teams.  The Owls have not lost to Worcester State since 2001.

The Lancers were unable to generate much pressure in the first half, but scored with their first shot of the contest, as Taylor Ledwith (Springfield, Mass.) cleaned up in traffic to score her third goal of the season with six minutes to go before halftime.

Ledwith had a chance to double the lead early in the second half, but her shot in traffic was blocked.  Keene State, which had won 82 consecutive LEC regular season home games coming into today's contest, poured on the pressure, as Haylie Dolan, Brittany Cardente, and Kendal Brown all had shots turned away by Worcester State goalie Allison Bieksha (Hubbardston, Mass.).

The Owls' first chance to tie the contest came in the 43rd minute, when Keene State was awarded a penalty stroke, but Dolan pushed her effort off the left post.

Four minutes later, the Owls had tied the game up.  Cardente's penalty corner found Renaud all alone, and the junior captain hammered home a shot off the left post for her second goal of the season.  

Dolan bagged the game winner in the 54th minute, sticking home the rebound of Erica Stauffer's shot, and four minutes later, Lindsey Clark tipped in her first collegiate goal for a 3-1 lead.

Renaud made the win emphatic with five minutes remaining, with a carbon copy of her first goal.  It was Dolan taking the corner, and she found Renaud unmarked on the left side of the circle to shoot past Worcester State's substitute goalie Kathryn Salemme (Boxboro, Mass.).

Meaghan Dwyer made a pair of saves in the cage for Keene State.  Bieksha played the first 57:06 and made nine stops, while Salemme was called on to make two.

Keene State will host Springfield College in a makeup of Thursday's rainout at noon on Sunday.  Worcester State hosts city rival WPI on September 16 at 7 p.m.

Release Courtesy of Keene State Sports Information