Aug. 27, 2005
AMHERST, Mass. -- Briana Keene scored a pair of goals in the final minute of the first half, which allowed the Fairfield University field hockey team to open the 2005 season with a 2-1 win at the University of Massachusetts.
The Stags managed just eight shots in the game, but it was the two shots at the close of the first half that were most important. With 50-plus seconds remaining, Keene accepted a pass from Allison Mays, and pushed the ball past UMass goaltender Becky Letourneau for a 1-0 lead. Seconds later, Keene stole the ball from a UMass defender and shot the ball under Letourneau for a 2-0 advantage at intermission.
Fairfield goaltender Elizabeth Thomas made those two goals stand up, turning away the 14 shots she faced. UMass outshot Fairfield by a 15-8 count, but could not manage to find the back of the cage until its final shot. The home team scored its only goal as the final horn sounded, which averted the shutout but not the loss.
