O'Leary nets first career goal

GARDEN CITY, N.Y. (October 5, 2013) – Freshman midfielder Shannon O'Leary (Florence, Mass.) and senior forward Chanelle Letarte (Lunenburg, Mass.) each scored in the second half, but the Franklin Pierce University field hockey team could not erase a 3-0 halftime deficit in a 5-2 loss at Adelphi in Northeast-10 Conference play at Motamed Field. Sophomore forwards Kristen Bagley and Mary Plotas scored twice each in the victory for Adelphi.

With the loss, Franklin Pierce falls to 1-8 (0-3 Northeast-10), while Adelphi improves to 6-4 (1-1 Northeast-10).

Adelphi controlled play in the first half, to the tune of a 9-2 advantage in shot attempts and a 7-1 edge in shots on goal, on its way to a 3-0 halftime lead. The first score of the day came 14 minutes into the contest, as Bagley put home her fourth of the season, off an assist from freshman forward Lena Pollich. The Ravens would hold the deficit at 1-0 for nearly 20 minutes, but Adelphi popped home two goals in the final 2:20 of the stanza. With 2:20 remaining 'til halftime, Plotas got her seventh of the season, off a feed from sophomore midfielder Molly Cuevas. Freshman forward Rachel Colvin capped the first-half scoring with her first career goal with 25 seconds to play, while junior forward Carly Aceves picked up the assist.

Franklin Pierce found its composure and its offense for the second half, enjoying advantages of 10-7 in shot attempts, 8-4 in penalty corners and 8-4 in shots on goal over the final 35 minutes. The Ravens got on the board 11:21 into the second frame, when they were awarded a penalty stroke and O'Leary put it away for her first career goal. It was the second of an unlikely three penalty strokes awarded on the day: Bagley was turned aside by freshman goalkeeper Amy Zahensky (Bow, N.H.) in the first half, and O'Leary was stopped by Adelphi sophomore Kelly Serrao later in the second half.

Adelphi had the answer for the O'Leary goal just 82 seconds later, on Plotas' second of the day, as she redirected home a shot by senior midfielder Jami DeGrote.

Franklin Pierce again pulled within two goals, at 4-2, with 6:36 to play, as Letarte scored her team-leading sixth goal of the season, unassisted. Letarte has six goals in the season's first nine games, as the Ravens hit the halfway mark of their schedule on Saturday. If she can find four more goals in the team's remaining nine games, she would become the fifth player in program history to reach 20 career goals.

Adelphi capped the scoring with 8:07 to play to create the 5-2 final. Bagley scored an unassisted goal of her own, her second of the day.

Zahensky made six saves against 11 shots on goal over the first 63:36 and took the loss (1-8) in net for Franklin Pierce. Sophomore Colette Donnelly (Woodbury, Conn.) did not face a shot on goal over the final 6:24. Serrao made five saves against seven shots on goal at the other end to pick up the win (6-4) in goal for Adelphi.

The Ravens return to the field on Wednesday, Oct. 9, when they travel to Saint Michael's for a Northeast-10 Conference contest. Game time is set for 3:30 p.m. at Duffy Field in Colchester, Vt. Franklin Pierce next plays at home on Saturday, Oct. 12 against American International at 1 p.m.

For more information on Franklin Pierce Athletics, please visit the official website of Franklin Pierce Athletics (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu). Also be sure to follow the Ravens through the Department of Athletics' official Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/FranklinPierceRavens), its YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/franklinpiercesports) and its Twitter feed (http://twitter.com/FPUathletics). Fans wishing to purchase Franklin Pierce field hockey apparel can do so at the Department of Athletics' online store (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu/store).