BOSTON, Mass. - Darragh Fahey took over for the Beacons in the fourth quarter netting two go-ahead goals, including the game winner in a thrilling 14-13 Little East Conference victory over Keene State College Saturday afternoon at James Cotter Field.
 
THE BASICS:
UMass Boston 14, Keene State 13
 
UMass Boston (11-2, 5-0 Little East Conference)
Keene State (8-4, 4-1 Little East Conference)
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The Beacons, who earned the first win over the Owls since 2001, had won the first quarter against each of their four Little East Conference opponents this season, but that was not the case on Saturday. Keene State started the scoring and would finish the quarter with a 3-2 lead.
 
In the second quarter, Keene State held advantages of 5-2 and 6-3, each of which represented the largest lead by either team in this back-and-forth affair.
 
For the first time this season, the Beacons trailed a conference opponent at the half as the Owls held a slim 7-6 advantage. The score was kept close thanks in part to back-to-back goals by Michael Claflin, who now sits just four points shy of 100 in his career.
 
In the third quarter both offenses took turns finding the back of the net, with neither team leading by more than two at any point.
 
The Beacons first lead did not come until just under three minutes into the fourth quarter, courtesy of Fahey's third goal of the game. Both defenses were stout as both teams went scoreless until the eighth minute of the final quarter when Keene State's Colby Quiet netted the game tying goal.
 
The winning point came with under three minutes left to play as Fahey once again attacked the goal, scoring his fourth of the day, bringing his season total to 30.
 
Christian Meinhold went into the net for the Beacons late in the game. In his 15 minutes between the pipes he recorded three saves while allowing just two goals. Trevor Koppy was credited with the goalie W, saving four and allowing 11 across the first three quarters.
 
BY THE NUMBERS:

• Patrick Colburn caused 5 turnovers, tied for the most in a game for a UMass Boston player this season
• 14-13 is the Beacons' narrowest margin of victory since beating Southwestern 16-15 in OT on March 15, 2022
• UMB was nearly perfect when clearing the ball, succeeding on 22 of 24 attempts
• The Beacons won 17 of their 31 face-offs and scooped 38 ground balls compared to 32 for the Owls
• This was UMass Boston's first win against Keene State since the 2001 season
• The Beacons have now won 13 straight regular season conference matchups
• Saturday's loss marked the first regular season conference loss for the Owls since 2004

 
WHO'S NEXT:
The Beacons will face WestConn at home on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. in a rematch of the 2021 LEC title game.