#4 Franklin
Pierce Rallies Past SNHU, 4-1 ASHBURNHAM, Mass. (October 27, 2002) - Franklin Pierce, ranked No. 4 in this week's National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA)/adidas Division II poll, wrapped up the regular season with a 4-1 victory over rival Southern New Hampshire University in Northeast-10 Conference women's soccer action at Cushing Academy this afternoon. The top-seeded Ravens now begin defense of their two-straight Northeast-10 Conference Tournament Championships and will host Pace University for a quarterfinal round match on Tuesday at 2 p.m. The semifinals and championship match will be hosted by Bryant College, in Smithfield, R.I., on Saturday and Sunday, November 2-3. Franklin Pierce needed a comeback effort to close out the regular season on a winning note after Southern New Hampshire held a 1-0 advantage at the intermission. Sophomore Liz Wheeler opened the scoring at the 20:33-mark on the Penwomen's first shot of the match from ten-yards out that found the upper left corner of the goal, assisted by junior Erica Flynn.
Franklin Pierce turned things around quickly in the second half as freshman Elizabeth Brunton (Birch Harbor, Maine/Sumner) set a program record for the quickest goal at the start of a half when she followed up her own shot, which SNHU junior goalkeeper Anastasia Carson bobbled, allowing Brunton to sneak a shot into an open net just 17-seconds into the half. Parnilla Larsson held the previous record when she netted a goal 27-seconds into a match with Iona in 1995. The Ravens took the lead for good just 3:39 later when sophomore Meghan Welcome (Haverhill, Mass./Haverhill) one-timed a loose ball in the penalty area past Carson after a corner kick from senior Angela Verdoes (Katwijk Aan Zee, Holland) at the 48:56-mark.
Verdoes put the match away with a pair of goals in the final ten minutes of regulation. She netted an insurance marker as senior Kamille Rosenfalck (Borup, Denmark) one-touched a through ball from classmate Anumari Ylesmaki (Vantaa, Finland) to Verdoes for a shot into the lower right corner of the net. Rosenfalck found Verdoes with another through ball that sent her in one-on-one with Carson before finding the lower left corner in the 85th minute. Carson finished the match with six saves for the Penwomen, who were out-shot 22-4 in the match. Franklin Pierce (13-0-2, 12-0-2 NE-10) will host Pace University for a Northeast-10 Conference Quarterfinal game on Tuesday at 2 p.m. Official Tournament pairings are set to be announced on Monday. Southern New Hampshire rounds out its 2002 season with a 6-10-1 record overall, 4-9-1 in Northeast-10 play. #4 Franklin Pierce 4, Southern New Hampshire 1
Scoring Summary:
SNH: Liz Wheeler (Erica Flynn), 20:33; FP: Elizabeth Brunton (unassisted),
45:17; FP: Meghan Welcome (Angela Verdoes), 48:56; FP: Verdoes (Kamille
Rosenfalck, Anumari Ylesmaki), 80:52; FP: Verdoes (Rosenfalck), 84:13. |
