Freshman midfielder Meghan
Welcome netted the gamewinning goal in the 97th minute
as #1 FP
nipped #13 Merrimack for the New England
Region Championship. |
NCAA
II WOMEN'S NEW ENGLAND REGIONAL
#1 FP
Needs Extra Time to Advance Past #13 Merrimack, 2-1
Welcome nets gamewinner in 97th minute
to lead Ravens into NCAA Quarterfinals
RINDGE, N.H. (November
10, 2001) - Freshman midfielder Meghan Welcome
(Haverhill, Mass./Haverhill) netted the gamewinning
goal with a 35-yard free-kick in the 97th minute to lift
No. 1-ranked Franklin Pierce University
to a 2-1 overtime victory
over No. 13 Merrimack College in the NCAA Division II Women's
New England Regional Championship match in front of 1,514
at Crystal Field this afternoon.
The Ravens (21-0)
advance to face No. 8 Lock Haven University in the NCAA
Quarterfinal round next weekend. The host site will be announced
on Monday, but should FP
be awarded the match, the game
would be Saturday, November 17, at 1 p.m. Lock Haven (18-3)
advanced with a 3-2 overtime victory over Slippery Rock
University this afternoon.
Welcome's gamewinner
came after a Merrimack foul near the left sideline. The
left-footed Welcome lofted the ball towards the far post,
but it found the upper righthand corner of the net just
past the hand of Merrimack's senior goalkeeper Alison
Skoglund (Haverhill, Mass./Haverhill).
"I was just trying
to put it on the far post," said Welcome after the match.
"When it went in I couldn't believe it. This is so sweet."
Merrimack sent the
match into overtime in the 86th minute of play as senior
Rachel McCarthy finished off a Warriors counterattack with
a 25-yard shot over the head of FP
goalkeeper Kim
Higgins (Rochester, N.H./Spaulding) that rolled
harmlessly into the net. Senior Melissa Edwards and freshman
Laurie Lamoureux were credited with assists.
The goal marked just
the second time this season FP
has been tied after going
ahead in a match. Saint Rose knotted its match with the
Ravens at 1-1 in the 15th minute of their match on October
8 before falling 3-1. FP
has still not trailed in a match
this season.
The score also snapped
Higgins shutout streak of just over 532 minutes dating back
to a 2-1 win over Saint Michael's College on October 11.
The Ravens took the
lead on a nifty goal from junior Patricia Keeldar
(Amsterdam, Holland/Ter Leede) at the 15:24-mark.
Freshman Martta Makila (Vantaa, Finland/Makelanrinne)
set up the play in the corner as she worked past a defender
and sent a cross into the box, where it was deflected by
junior April Mann (Brisbane, Australia/Saint Thomas
More) towards Keeldar, who headed the ball into
the upper right corner of the net.
The 21st win matches
FPC's school record for wins in a season set in 1997 and
also matched in 1998. The Ravens keep their quest of a sixth
National Championship alive and look to advance to the NCAA
semifinals for the tenth-straight season with a win next
weekend.
Merrimack (19-4) falls
to FP
for the third time this season and is now 0-3 in
NCAA Tournament play against the Ravens. Skoglund recorded
three saves in net for the Warriors, while Higgins made
two saves for Franklin Pierce.
| #13 Merrimack
(19-4) |
0
|
1
|
0
|
1
|
| #1 Franklin
Pierce (21-0) |
1
|
0
|
1
|
2
|
Scoring Summary:
FPC: Patricia Keeldar (April Mann, Martta Makila), 15:24;
MC: Rachel McCarthy (Melissa Edwards, Laurie Lamoureux),
85:14; FPC: Meghan Welcome (unassisted), 96:21.
Goalkeepers:
MC: Alison Skoglund (96:21), three saves. FPC: Kim Higgins
(96:21), two saves.
Shots:
MC: 5, FPC: 13.
