Three-Goal First Half Starts Field Hockey Over Southern Connecticut State, 4-3

Canavan nets first career goal

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (September 12, 2014) – Senior forward Tori Gamache (Goffstown, N.H.) put home a goal in each half and added an assist for a five-point game on Friday evening to lead the Franklin Pierce University field hockey team to a 4-3 win over Southern Connecticut State in non-conference play at Jess Dow Field. Sophomore forward Bailey McGinnis and sophomore midfielder Vienna Pallisco nearly led a second-half comeback for SCSU.

With the win, Franklin Pierce improves to 2-0 (0-0 Northeast-10), while SCSU falls to 1-2 (0-0 Northeast-10). The two teams will meet again on Oct. 18 in Rindge for their Northeast-10 Conference contest.

Franklin Pierce came out quickly in the first half and put home the game's first three goals to build a 3-0 lead in the 22nd minute. The first goal of the evening came in the ninth minute, in the aftermath of a penalty corner. The Ravens' initial thrust on the play was stymied, but Gamache wound up with the ball directly in front of the goal, 10 feet out. With the keeper headed her way, Gamache dished to the right post where senior forward Courtney Kelly (Plymouth, N.H.) finished into the empty cage for her first goal of the season.

The Ravens doubled the lead to 2-0 in the 11th minute, when a play in the circle wound up with the ball on the stick of freshman forward Carly Canavan (Kingston, N.Y.) all alone near the right post. She salted the ball away from there for her first collegiate goal.

Gamache got her first goal of the game in the 22nd minute to push the lead to 3-0. Yet again, the goal came off a scramble in the center of the circle. Gamache put the ball into the lower-left corner from the goalmouth for her first of the campaign.

SCSU got on the board in the 31st minute to cut the gap to 3-1 heading into the halftime break. The Owls had numbers in a rush down the field which left sophomore midfielder Kristi Montemurro one-on-one with a defender in the circle. Montemurro went to her left and flipped a reverse-stick shot over the shoulder of Franklin Pierce freshman goalkeeper Meaghan Williams (Salem, N.H.) and into the cage for her second of the year.

Franklin Pierce reclaimed the three-goal lead less than five minutes into the second half, as Gamache notched her second career multiple-goal game. This time, she put the shot into the right side of the net, beyond the reach of SCSU junior goalkeeper Audrey Dolloff.

SCSU was able to rally within a goal, with scores in the 45th and 65th minutes, but could never complete the comeback. In the 45th, McGinnis slipped a shot through from a low angle on the left-wing side for her fourth of the season. In the 65th, Pallisco created the 4-3 final in the aftermath of a penalty corner. She corralled a rebound and sent a shot towards the net which deflected off the defense and into the back of the cage for her first goal of the campaign.

Williams made five saves against eight shots on goal to pick up the win (2-0) in front of the cage for Franklin Pierce, while junior back Erin Trainor (Auburn, Mass.) picked up her first defensive save of the season. At the other end, Dolloff finished with three saves against seven shots on goal and took the loss (1-2) in net for SCSU.

The Ravens return to the field on Tuesday, Sept. 16, when they travel to Merrimack for their Northeast-10 opener. Game time is set for 4:30 p.m. at Martone-Mejail Field in North Andover, Mass. Franklin Pierce opens the home portion of its schedule on Saturday, Sept. 20 against Stonehill 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).