Nyack Stuns Franklin Pierce, 3-2
Warriors use 74^th minute goal to up-end 
region’s fourth-ranked team

RINDGE, N.H. (September 11, 2004) – Nyack College earned its first win of the season with a 3-2 decision over Franklin Pierce, ranked fourth in the New England region, in non-conference men’s soccer action this afternoon.

            Junior Juan Andres Martinez (Guatemala, City, Guatemala) dished a pair of assists to lead Nyack to the upset victory. He set up the match-winning goal in the 74^th minute as his flick put Oswald Adu (Toronto, Ontario) in one-on-one with Franklin Pierce freshman goalkeeper James Thorpe (East Longmeadow, Mass./Bridgton Academy). Adu blasted a shot from ten yards past the helpless ‘keeper.

            Nyack struck for an early goal just 5:52 into the match as Martinez took advantage of a defensive turnover and slid a square ball across the run of play that junior Nathan Rayl (Clinton, Ohio) buried from just inside the penalty area.

            Franklin Pierce answered in the 12^th minute as grad student Craig Stewart (Newcastle Upon Tyne, England) one-timed a shot off the side of his foot at the near post on a corner kick from senior Troy McColl (Sydney, Australia).            

Stewart put the Ravens ahead 3:01 into the second half when he converted on one-on-one situation with Nyack senior goalkeeper Rob Renuart (Lakewood, N.J.) after grad student Christopher Joyce (Jarrow, England) one-touched a square ball off a serve from the back by McColl.

            The Warriors equalized just 3:37 later when sophomore Matthew Bennett (Southampton, England) found freshman Tim Conway (Billerica, Mass.) with a serve from the back. Bennett deked one defender before netting his first collegiate goal in the 52^nd minute to set up the winning strike in the 74^th.

            Franklin Pierce out-shot Nyack by a 19-7 margin for the match and dominated the corner kicks, 8-2.

            Renuart posted five saves in net for Nyack, however the save of the match went to junior back Robert Rice (Suffield, Conn.) who cleared a ball off the line shot by Franklin Pierce grad student Tom McNeil (Paisley, Scotland) in the 79^th minute that would have tied the match for a third time on the day.

            Thorpe finished with one save for the Ravens.

            Franklin Pierce (4-2, 1-0 NE-10) returns to action on Tuesday when it hosts the College of Saint Rose in Northeast-10 Conference action at 3:30 p.m. Nyack (1-2, 0-0 CACC) opens its conference schedule next Saturday when it hosts Goldey-Beacom College at 2 p.m.