Hislop and Hughes Help Ireland Smash Malta
Hughes goes the full 90, dishes three assists, Hislop nets pair 
in European Qualifier

RINDGE, N.H. (October 23, 2003) – Franklin Pierce sophomores Sonya Hughes (Balbriggan, Ireland) and Laura Hislop (Belfast, Northern Ireland) both contributed for the Republic of Ireland in yesterday’s 9-0 victory over Malta in a Women’s European Championship qualifier in Ta’ Qali, Malta.            

Hughes played the full 90 minutes in midfield for Ireland, which staked out a 5-0 lead by the intermission, and dished three assists. Hislop came off the bench to score a pair of goals over the final 32 minutes.            

Hislop entered the match in the 58^th minute to replace starter Olivia O’Toole who netted the first three goals of the match in the opening 29 minutes. Hislop shared in the scoring effort as she scored her first goal just four minutes after entering the match to give Ireland a 6-0 lead and then netted the Republic’s ninth goal in the 89^th minute.

            The victory moved Ireland within two points of Group 5 leaders Romania with four matches to be played in the spring. Ireland next faces third-place Croatia in Ireland in April 2004. As a second division side in Europe, Ireland cannot qualify for the Championships, but if it finishes atop the group, they would go into a playoff for promotion to the first division with the likes of Germany, Sweden and Norway.

            Hislop currently leads the Northeast-10 Conference with 53 points in her first season at Franklin Pierce. She also leads the Conference with 17 assists, while her 18 goals are second only to teammate Meghan Welcome’s (Haverhill, Mass./Haverhill) 20. Last week, Hislop cracked the Ravens career-scoring list, as her 53 points are already good for 

23^rd in program history. A three-time Northeast-10 Conference Player of the Week, she set a program record earlier this season when she totaled 13 points in a 10-1 win over Stonehill College in which she also matched a program record with five markers.            

Hughes has also made a big impact for the Ravens in her first season in Rindge. She ranks second to Hislop in the NE-10 with 12 assists to go with three goals for 18 points. Hughes has registered a point in ten of the Ravens 13 victories this season.

            The Irish pair is expected in uniform when No. 10-ranked Franklin Pierce (13-2, 11-1 NE-10) returns to action on Saturday at Southern New Hampshire University at 1 p.m. The two teams enter the match in position for NCAA Tournament bids with three weeks remaining in the regular season.

MATCH REPORT