DANBURY, Conn. - Western Connecticut State University graduate Liam Ford (New Fairfield, Conn.) notched four goals and two assists to lead the top-seeded Wolves to a 17-7 victory over the No. 5-seeded Keene State College Owls in the semifinal round of the Little East Conference (LEC) Men's Lacrosse Championship Tournament this afternoon at Westside Stadium.  WestConn, the 2023 LEC Champion, advances to its third consecutive conference finals and its fourth in five years while improving to 12-6 with its ninth win in a row. The Owls' season ends at 8-10.  The Wolves will host either UMass Boston or Plymouth State in the LEC Finals on Saturday at 1 p.m. with the winner earning the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament next week.

WestConn jumped out to a 5-0 lead and never looked back, dominating statistically with a 44-to-19 shooting edge, a 34-to18 advantage on ground balls, and 20 faceoffs wins to just five for Keene State.  WestConn junior Tristan McMahon (Farmingville, N.Y.) scored the first goal 2:48 into the contest and Ford followed with back-to-back markers moments later.  Ford then fed senior attackman Julian Duque (Mastic, N.Y.) at the 9:01 mark to make it, 4-0, and Duque assisted graduate Tyler Starrett (Redding, Conn.) on the fifth goal just 14 seconds later.  Rex Maccarini assisted Jack Ansert on a man-up goal to get Keene State on the scoreboard and scored his first goal with 5:11 on the clock to make the score, 5-2.  Duque and Starrett tallied again before halftime and the Wolves maintained at least a five-goal cushion the entire second half.

Duque joined Ford with four goals in the game and became the first WestConn player to eclipse 300 points in his career, while Starrett had a hat trick, and graduate Benjamin Hawthorne (Manorville, N.Y.) registered two goals and an assist for the Wolves offense.  Graduate student Jonathan Russack-Baker (Groton, Conn.) won 19 of 23 faceoffs and scooped a game-high 11 ground balls.  WestConn senior defenseman Nate Caldwell (Cranford, N.J.) scored a goal, assisted on another, collected six ground balls, and caused a turnover, while junior Mason McClay (Eastport, N.Y.) added three caused turnovers.  In goal, freshman Jake Kelly (Bethpage, N.Y.) made five saves with two ground balls.  Maccarini finished with five points on a goal and a game-high four assists, while Ansert scored four times including twice with the extra man.  Ty Cougler paced the Owls with six ground balls and three caused turnovers.  Dylan Flourian made 11 saves in the Keene State goal.