Kelly, Libby find net for Ravens

RINDGE, N.H. (October 12, 2013) – Junior midfielder Taylor Libby (Sidney, Maine) tied the game at 2-2 with 7:54 to play on Saturday afternoon for the Franklin Pierce University field hockey team, but American International sophomore forward Ainslee Penfield scored the game-winner just 98 seconds later to give AIC a 3-2 win in Northeast-10 Conference play at Sodexo Field. The goal was the second of the day for Penfield, as she bookended the afternoon's scoring.

With the loss, Franklin Pierce falls to 1-10 (0-5 Northeast-10), while American International improves to 7-5 (2-2 Northeast-10). It was the 10th straight loss for Franklin Pierce after a season-opening win; it is the first double-digit losing streak for the program since it dropped 12 in a row to open the 2007 season.

The two teams alternated goals all afternoon on Saturday, with Franklin Pierce chasing from a one-goal deficit most of the day after AIC opened the scoring 13 minutes into the proceedings. A loose ball came to junior back Jacqueline Millard near the top of the circle, and she sent a feed towards the goalmouth. Amidst a mess of sticks and feet in front of the cage, Penfield was the first to find the ball, and she put away her second goal of the campaign.

Franklin Pierce responded in the 23rd minute off a broken play in the middle of the AIC circle. Junior forward Courtney Kelly (Plymouth, N.H.) tracked down the ball a few yards on the right-wing side of the penalty spot, found herself with a shooting lane and sent the ball towards the net. The shot beat the goalkeeper on the far side, banked off the left post and trickled over the line for Kelly's first goal of the year.

The game remained 1-1 into the halftime break, and the Yellow Jackets wasted no time out of the intermission, as they took a 2-1 lead 6:09 into the second stanza. Freshman midfielder Shea Homer unleashed a drive from the right side, but with no traffic in front of the shot, freshman goalkeeper Amy Zahensky (Bow, N.H.) easily made the save. However, in her attempt to kick the ball away, she only caught part of it, and the ball stuck under her pad. Crashing the cage off the original shot, freshman forward Taylor Ruscillo was able to capitalize on the mistake for her first career goal. Zahensky was relieved by sophomore goalkeeper Colette Donnelly (Woodbury, Conn.) just over six minutes after the goal.

AIC held the 2-1 lead for over 20 minutes, but Franklin Pierce upped the pressure as the game proceeded into its final 10 minutes. The Ravens earned a pair of penalty corners in the 62nd minute, with the second spilling into the 63rd minute. In the original play off the later corner, sophomore midfielder Erin Trainor (Auburn, Mass.) took a long drive from the left side which AIC senior goalkeeper Kori Huffman turned aside. The aftermath of the rebound play saw the ball come to freshman midfielder Shannon O'Leary (Florence, Mass.) at the edge of the circle on the right side. She sent a feed towards the goal from there, which was likely intended for a Franklin Pierce forward camped at the left post. The AIC defense was able to deflect the pass, but the deflection went straight to the stick of Libby, who was stationed 10 yards in front of the left post. With the whole cage to shoot at, Libby unleashed a quick shot to score her second goal of the season.

The 2-2 tie would be short-lived though, as Penfield came up with the game-winning goal only 98 seconds later. Off a penalty corner play, junior forward Jenna Masionis took a long shot from the right side which beat Donnelly, but senior back Jessica Rogers (Uxbridge, Mass.) was stationed on the goal line and knocked it away for her third defensive save of the season, as well as the sixth of her career. Unfortunately for the Ravens, off the save, the ball dropped into the middle of the circle amidst heavy traffic. Much like her first-half goal, Penfield was the first to find it and put away her second score of the afternoon, which stood up as the game-winner.

Zahensky made two saves against four shots on goal before she departed after logging 47:50 in net. Donnelly made one save against two shots on goal over her 21:46, but also surrendered the goal which broke the 2-2 tie, which left her with the loss (0-1).

Huffman made four saves against six shots on goal to pick up the win (7-5) in front of the AIC cage.

The Ravens return to the field on Tuesday, Oct. 15, when they travel to Bentley for a Northeast-10 Conference contest. Game time is set for 7 p.m. at Bentley University Turf Field in Waltham, Mass. Franklin Pierce next plays at home on Wednesday, Oct. 23 against Stonehill at 6 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).