Hislop, Kibsgaard Honored by NE-10
Duo lead No. 7-ranked Ravens to 2-0 week, including quarterfinal round win

RINDGE, N.H. (November 3, 2003) –  Two members of the Franklin Pierce women’s soccer team, ranked No. 7 in this week’s National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA)/adidas Division II poll, were rewarded for their efforts with weekly honors from the Northeast-10 Conference today.

            Sophomore forward Laura Hislop (Belfast, Northern Ireland) was named the NE-10 Player of the Week, while senior goalkeeper Aase Kibsgaard (Korgen, Norway) was selected as the NE-10 Goalkeeper of the Week.            

Hislop, who earns her fourth Player of the Week award this season, totaled ten points with four goals and two assists in a 2-0 week for the Ravens. Hislop registered seven points in Sunday’s 6-0 win over eighth-seeded Pace University in quarterfinal round action of the Northeast-10 Tournament. She scored the only goal Franklin Pierce would need just 3:25 into the match and added two more to post her third hat trick of the season.

            Hislop, who played a role in six of the Ravens eight goals scored last week, had a part in both goals in their 2-0 win at Saint Anselm College on Thursday which clinched the program’s third-straight NE-10 regular season title and the top seed in this week’s tournament.

            Hislop leads the Northeast-10 with 65 points and 21 assists this season, while her 22 goals are second only to teammate Meghan Welcome (Haverhill, Mass./Haverhill). Her 65 points are already good for 21^st all-time at the College and her 21 assists are just three shy of the program’s single-season record of 24 set by Angela Verdoes in 1999 and is tied for the sixth-highest total in Division II history.            

Kibsgaard earns her first Goalkeeper of the Week award this season (3^rd career) after posting a pair of shutouts last week. She made three stops in Sunday’s quarterfinal win over Pace for her seventh shutout of the season (15^th career). Kibsgaard made one save in Thursday’s regular-season finale at Saint Anselm.

            Kibsgaard leads the Northeast-10 with a 0.55 goals against average this fall, while her seven shutouts rank second and her .833 save percentage is tied for third.

            Kibsgaard ranks fifth all-time at the College with her 15 career shutouts, while her 0.59 career GAA is good for third in program history and her .810 save percentage ranks fifth all-time. She was an All-New England Region and All-Northeast-10 selection in 2002, her first season in Rindge after transferring from Champlain College.

            Franklin Pierce (16-2, 13-1 NE-10), ranked first in the New England Region, returns to action on Wednesday for semifinal round action of the 2003 Northeast-10 Conference Tournament. The Ravens, seeking their fourth-straight tournament title, are scheduled to host fifth-seeded Southern New Hampshire University (11-3-4, 8-3-3 NE-10) at a time and place to be determined. Bad weather continues to hamper the athletic facilities at Franklin Pierce and a final determination as to the time and location of Wednesday’s match will be made by Tuesday at 2 p.m.