#1 Franklin Pierce Rolls Past 
Holy Family, 6-1
Hislop’s eight point day, including first hat trick 
of season, leads Ravens

RINDGE, N.H. (September 4, 2004) – Franklin Pierce, ranked No. 1 in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA)/adidas Division II preseason poll, got off to a quick start with two goals in the opening 4:19 and collected a 6-1 victory over Holy Family University in a non-conference women’s soccer match up at Franklin Pierce this afternoon.

            Junior All-American Laura Hislop (Belfast, Northern Ireland), the reigning Division II Player of the Year, collected eight points as she registered her first hat trick of the season (sixth career) and dished a pair of assists to lead Franklin Pierce, which is now unbeaten against New England Region opponents at home in 99-straight (97-0-2) matches.

            Senior All-American Meghan Welcome (Haverhill, Mass./Haverhill) opened her 2004 scoring account with a pair of goals. She netted her first goal of the season just 3:51 into the match when she one-timed a cross from Hislop from the left side into the net.

            Hislop netted what proved to be the match-winner just 28-seconds later as a through ball from junior Sonya Hughes (Balbriggan, Ireland) sent her in one-on-one with Holy Family senior goalkeeper Kristy Cusick (Philadelphia, Pa./George Washington). Hislop made no mistake and tucked the ball past Cusick for her first match-winner of the season (eighth career).            

Hislop rounded out the first half scoring in the 42^nd minute when she took the ball just inside midfield and beat one defender to go in one-on-one with the ‘keeper again.

            After Welcome put the Ravens up 4-0 with her second goal of the match at 59:08, Holy Family struck for its lone goal of the match. Sophomore Brianne Redelheim (Philadelphia, Pa./St. Hubert’s) caught Franklin Pierce sophomore goalkeeper Linnea Authier (East Longmeadow, Mass./East Longmeadow) off her line and chipped a 28-yard shot into an open net at 59:35.

            Freshman Jenna Giardina (Pittsfield, Mass./Taconic) collected the first point of her collegiate career with an assist on Welcome’s second marker of the day, while junior Leanne Bowler (Clonalvy, Ireland) netted her first goal as a Raven to round out the scoring in the 72^nd minute.

            Cusick kept the Tigers in the match for most of the afternoon as she totaled 13 saves, several from point-blank range, while Authier finished with two stops for the Ravens.

            Franklin Pierce (2-0) returns to action on Wednesday when it opens its Northeast-10 Conference schedule with a tough road match at Southern Connecticut State University at 7 p.m. Holy Family (0-3) is right back at it tomorrow when it visits UMass Lowell at 1 p.m.

MATCH STATISTICS