#5 Franklin Pierce Holds On 
for Win Over SNHU, 2-1
Ravens victory clinches fourth-straight 
NE-10 regular season title

RINDGE, N.H. (October 23, 2004) – Franklin Pierce, ranked No. 5 in this week’s National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA)/adidas women’s Division II poll, clinched a fourth-straight Northeast-10 Conference regular season crown by holding on for a 2-1 victory over Southern New Hampshire University at Sodexho Field this afternoon.

            Franklin Pierce claims its tenth regular season conference crown over the last 11 years with today’s victory and will be the top seed in the upcoming Northeast-10 tournament which begins with quarterfinal round action on Sunday, October 31, at a time to be announced.

            The Ravens scored both of their goals in the first 25 minutes, then withstood a big push from Southern New Hampshire after going a player down when senior Meghan Welcome (Haverhill, Mass./Haverhill) was issued a pair of yellow cards within a span of 30-seconds early in the second half.            

Junior All-American Laura Hislop (Belfast, Northern Ireland) opened the scoring in the 18^th minute. Sophomore Kirsi Ekberg (Klaukkala, Finland) passed the ball to junior Sonya Hughes (Balbriggan, Ireland), whose side-foot pass sent Hislop in one-on-one with SNHU sophomore goalkeeper Jessica Langley (Norwich, Conn./Norwich Free Academy) for a shot into the lower right corner.

            Welcome put the Ravens up 2-0 in the 26^th minute when she fired in a rebound in close after Langley could not handle a blast from Hughes from just inside the penalty area. The goal would prove to be the match-winner and was the 25^th of Welcome’s career, moving her within one of the program’s all-time record of 26 winners set by former three-time All-American Pauliina Miettinen.

            Welcome was then booked twice within a 30-second span in the 58^th minute, giving Southern New Hampshire a player advantage for the final 32:09. The Penwomen took immediate advantage and pulled within a goal in the 59^th minute as senior Denise Nicoletta (Westford, Mass./Westford Academy) passed a square ball to classmate Lindsay Parks (Littleton, Mass./Littleton), who a drilled shot from the right channel into the lower left corner of the net at 58:04.

            SNHU kept the pressure on the Ravens, out shooting them 12-8 for the half, including 7-0 over the final 11:27 of the match. All three of Franklin Pierce freshman goalkeeper Jenna Mello’s (Londonderry, N.H./Londonderry) saves came in the final 5:19 of regulation. Langley finished with four stops for Southern New Hampshire.

            Franklin Pierce (14-1, 12-1 NE-10) rounds out the regular season on Wednesday as it hosts Saint Anselm College at 3:30 p.m. Southern New Hampshire (6-8-3, 5-6-3 NE-10) rounds out the regular season with a non-conference match at Adelphi University on Wednesday at 3 p.m. The Penwomen’s postseason hopes now hinge on the results of three teams who sit two points behind them in eighth through tenth place over the next few days.

MATCH STATISTICS