Franklin Pierce Rolls 
at Stonehill, 5-1
Giardina’s second-half double and Demoner’s five points lead Ravens in season-high offensive outburst

EASTON, Mass. (September 20, 2006) – Franklin Pierce, receiving votes in this week’s National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA)/adidas Division II poll, scored two first half goals and broke the match open in the second half for a 5-1 victory at Stonehill College, ranked fifth in the New England region, in Northeast-10 Conference women’s soccer action at Skyhawk Field this afternoon.

            Juniors Jenna Giardina (Pittsfield, Mass./Taconic) and Gabriela Demoner (Curitibas, Brazil) paced Franklin Pierce to its best offensive output of the season. Giardina scored two second half goals, while Demoner totaled five points with a goal and three assists for the Ravens. Junior Taryn Welker (Wayne, Pa./Conestoga) and freshman Rachel Smith (Carlisle, Pa./Bible Baptist School) each chipped in with a goal and assist each.            

Franklin Pierce opened the scoring with a pair of goals five minutes apart just past the half-hour mark. Welker knocked in a pass from Demoner at 31:48, before Smith scored off a feed from freshman Mackenzie Bulych (Regina, Saskatchewan/Dr. Martin LeBoldus) at 36:27.

            The Ravens were fortunate to survive the opening five minutes of the second half with the lead as Stonehill came out firing. The Skyhawks needed just 23-second to cut the Ravens lead in half when sophomore Janine Connors (Holliston, Mass./Holliston) converted passes from junior Ashley Bourne (Brockton, Mass./Brockton) and freshman Kelly Regan (Mansfield, Mass./Mansfield).            

Stonehill nearly equalized on more than one occasion before Giardina put Franklin Pierce back up by two when she headed in a free kick by Demoner at 54:12 for just the second goal of her three-year career. Giardina finished off her second-half double just over eight minutes later when she headed in a cross from Smith at 62:52.

            Franklin Pierce rounded out the scoring when Demoner knocked in a volley from just inside the 18 off a pass from Welker at 65:40. The Ravens finished with a 14-11 advantage in shots for the match.

            Junior Jenna Mello (Londonderry, N.H./Londonderry) preserved the win for Franklin Pierce with a season-high seven saves. Junior Alex Eckhardt (Marshfield, Mass./Marshfield) finished with five stops for Stonehill.

            Franklin Pierce (5-2, 4-2 NE-10) returns to action on Saturday when it visits Pace University, ranked tenth in the New England region, at 2 p.m. The Ravens are back home on Tuesday, September 26, when it hosts No. 19 Merrimack College at 7 p.m. Stonehill (3-2-2, 2-2-2 NE-10) hosts Southern Connecticut State University on Saturday at 1 p.m.

MATCH STATISTICS & PLAY-BY-PLAY