KEENE, N.H. (September 16, 2026) – Backed by a 24-save shutout by junior
Alex Tardugno, the Western New England field hockey team came away with a 1-0 non-conference victory on Wednesday night against the hosting Owls of Keene State College, seeing
Tessa Ebreo net the overtime winner to give the Blue and Gold the win.
Records:
- Western New England: 4-1
- Keene State College: 4-2
How it Happened:
First Quarter:
- Western New England generated the first offensive pressure as Mikayla Mrzywka put two early shots on goal, both saved by Keene State goalkeeper Tori Kelly, while Alex Tardugno answered with a save on Keene's Grace Seabury to keep the score level early on.
- Keene State began to apply pressure through a series of penalty corners, earning three in a short span, but WNE's defense kept the Owls off the scoreboard before the Golden Bears earned their first corner of the contest.
- WNE continued to create chances as Abigail Petrini forced a save, while Kayla Antonelli sent a shot wide of the target, seeing the Golden Bears press for the opening goal. Tardugno made another save on Emma Bazin during a late Keene State penalty corner to keep the match scoreless after 15 minutes of play.
Second Quarter:
- KSC controlled the early portion of the second quarter, recording shots from Lucy Dickenson and Lilah Carr, with Tardugno making a save five minutes into the quarter on Carr to keep the Owls from scoring.
- Keene State mounted their strongest stretch of the half, earning multiple penalty corners and putting several shots on target, but Tardugno stood tall with a series of saves, six total in the contest, keeping the Owls off the scoreboard.
- WNE managed to generate another opportunity through Mrzywka, who forced a save in the final three minutes of the quarter, as the game remained level after 30 minutes of play.
Third Quarter:
- WNE came out aggressively after halftime, with Mikayla Mrzywka forcing a save and Tessa Ebreo recording a shot after a Golden Bear penalty corner, but neither attempt found the back to of the net to keep the game scoreless just two minutes into the quarter.
- Alex Tardugno kept WNE level by making four saves during a sustained Keene State attack following a penalty corner.
- The Golden Bears answered back and regained some offensive momentum late in the quarter, earning a penalty corner before Mrzywka, Kayla Antonelli and Jenna Nigro each tested the Keene State goalkeeper, but were stopped all three attempts to keep the game scoreless after 45 minutes of action.
Fourth Quarter:
- Keene State immediately put WNE under pressure, earning three penalty corners in the opening two minutes and forcing Tardugno to make multiple saves, while defender Kamryn Miller made a defensive save on a close KSC chance to keep the Owls from scoring.
- WNE responded with back-to-back penalty corners, creating an opportunity for Analise Trani, but her shot went wide as the Golden Bears remained unable to break through.
- Keene State continued to generate chances down the stretch, but Tardugno repeatedly denied the Owls, making nine saves in total in the quarter, a season-high. Tardugno and the WNE defense kept the Owls from scoring the all-important first goal, hanging on to force overtime
Overtime:
- WNE wasted little time in overtime, earning a penalty corner just 1:05 into the frame. Tessa Ebreo inserted a chance to Mikayla Mrzywka, who found Ebreo back door and Ebreo was able to finish off the chance with her first goal of the season, giving Western New England the 1-0 victory, preserving the third straight shutout for Alex Tardugno.
Inside the Lines:
- Alex Tardugno was the star of the show on Wednesday night, making an astonishing 23 saves, including nine in the fourth quarter to hold off the Keene State attack.
- Tessa Ebreo's first goal of the season and ninth career goal proved to be the game-winner in overtime. Mikayla Mrzywka picked up the assist to extend her scoring streak to three straight games.
- Emma Bazin led KSC with nine total shots in the game, putting six on target.
- Western New England has won four straight over Keene State, outscoring the Owls 10-3 over the span.
Up Next on the Schedule:
- The Golden Bears return home to host Roger Williams University in Conference of New England action on Saturday, September 19 at 1:00 PM from Golden Bear Stadium.
