Top-Seeded Franklin Pierce 
Begins Quest For Fourth-Straight NE-10 Title
No. 9 Ravens host eighth-seeded Pace University Sunday at 11:30 a.m.

RINDGE, N.H. (October 31, 2003) – The Franklin Pierce women’s soccer team, ranked No. 9 in this week’s National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA)/adidas Division II poll, clinched its third-straight Northeast-10 Conference Regular Season Championship and has earned the top-seed in the NE-10 Women’s Soccer Tournament which kicks off with quarterfinal round action on Sunday.

            Franklin Pierce (15-2, 13-1 NE-10) will host No. 8-seeded Pace University (9-7-1, 7-6-1 NE-10), which is coming off a 3-1 victory over No. 4-ranked Merrimack College on Thursday that enabled the Ravens to claim the NE-10 Regular Season crown and tournament top seed, on Sunday at 11:30 a.m. The match will be played on the Franklin Pierce campus, but at its Field Hockey/Lacrosse complex, which is located approximately 100-yards behind the bleachers at Crystal Field. Admission to the match is free and is part of an NE-10 Tournament doubleheader as the Franklin Pierce men’s team will host Saint Anselm College at 2 p.m.            

With the top seed, the Franklin Pierce women will have home field advantage throughout the NE-10 Championships.

            Franklin Pierce is in search of its fourth-straight NE-10 Tournament title, having won all three tournaments since joining the Conference in 2000. The Ravens will hit the pitch on Sunday having never lost a postseason match at home (17-0 overall, 3-0 NE-10), although all those matches were played on Crystal Field. Franklin Pierce is also unbeaten over its last 94-matches (92-0-2) at home against New England Region opposition. Franklin Pierce is 9-0 in NE-10 Tournament play dating back to the 2000 season and has out-scored its opposition in those matches by a 28-4 margin.

            Sunday will mark the sixth meeting all-time between Franklin Pierce and Pace, the second in postseason play. The Ravens hold a 5-0 advantage in the all-time series, which dates back to the 2000 season, and posted a 3-0 victory over the Setters in last year’s NE-10 quarterfinals. Franklin Pierce is 4-0 all-time against Pace at home including a 1-0 decision on 
October 4.            

In the October victory, junior All-American Meghan Welcome (Haverhill, Mass./Haverhill) netted the lone goal of the match at the 69:12-mark when she headed in a sharp cross from sophomore Laura Hislop (Belfast, Northern Ireland) from the right flank. The Ravens out-shot the Setters by a 14-2 margin for the match as senior goalkeeper Aase Kibsgaard (Korgen, Norway) posted her fourth shutout of the season without making a save.

Pace sophomore goalkeeper Ria Carroll (Warwick, R.I./Toll Gate) made eight saves, seven in the second half, as she always seemed in good position the entire match.

            Hislop and Welcome has been the top offensive tandem in the Northeast-10 all season long. Hislop leads the Conference with 58 points and 20 assists, while her 19 goals are second only to Welcome’s Conference-best 22 markers to go with three assists for 47 points (2^nd NE-10).

            Hislop has registered a point in seven-straight matches for the Ravens and 12 of its last 13.  In face Hislop has a point and Welcome has netted a goal in each of the Ravens 15 wins this season as their only two losses have come by way of shutouts. Welcome is scoring on 43.1-percent of her shots this season and leads the team with eight match-winning goals and has 16 winners over the last two years and 19 in her career.            

Also aiding in the Ravens offensive effort this season are sophomore Sonya Hughes (Balbriggan, Ireland), with 18 points on 12 assists (2^nd NE-10) and three goals, and freshman Alex Scavo (Markham, Ontario/Brother Andre), with 18 points on seven goals and four assists.

            Kibsgaard anchors the Franklin Pierce defensive unit as she leads the NE-10 with a 0.59 goals against average to go with a .822 save percentage and six shutouts. She is currently tied for fifth all-time at the College with 14 career shutouts, while her 0.60 career goals against ranks third all-time and her .804 career save percentage ranks fifth all-time.

            Pace enters Sunday’s match riding high with five wins over its last six matches including a 3-1 victory over No. 4 Merrimack on Thursday. Carroll made a career-best 15 saves in the victory as the Setters rallied from a halftime deficit with three second half goals.

            Carroll boasts a 0.92 goals against average and .872 save percentage with six shutouts this season.

            Freshman Kimberly Ludewig (Washingtonville, N.Y./Washingtonville) leads the Setters with 19 points, seven goals and five assists. Junior Angela Talucci (Oakland, N.J./Indian Hills) has added 12 points on four goals and four assists, while sophomore Amanda Thorman (Bayport, N.Y./Bayport-Blue Point) has added nine points with four goals and an assist.

            The winner of Sunday’s match will advance to the semifinal round and face the winner of Sunday’s match between fifth-seeded Southern New Hampshire University (10-3-4, 8-3-3 NE-10) and No. 4 Bryant College (14-4-2, 9-4-1 NE-10) on Wednesday afternoon.

2003 Northeast-10 Conference Women’s Soccer Championships

QUARTERFINALS
Sunday, November 2:
#8 Pace at Franklin Pierce, 11:30 a.m.
#5 Southern New Hampshire at #4 Bryant, 2 p.m.
#6 Southern Connecticut State at #3 Saint Rose, 1 p.m.
#7 Bentley at #2 Merrimack, 1 p.m.  

SEMIFINALS
Wednesday, November 5
Pace/Franklin Pierce winner vs. Southern New Hampshire/Bryant winner, 2 p.m.
Southern Connecticut/Saint Rose winner vs. Bentley/Merrimack winner, 2 p.m.  

CHAMPIONSHIP
Sunday, November 9
at highest remaining seed, 1 p.m.