Flat First Half Hurts Field Hockey in 5-2 Loss at Saint Anselm

Ravens postseason hopes hang on home game Saturday vs. Adelphi

MANCHESTER, N.H. (November 12, 2014) – Senior forward Courtney Kelly (Plymouth, N.H.) and junior midfielder Erin Trainor (Auburn, Mass.) scored second-half goals on Wednesday afternoon, but three first-half goals were the difference, as the Franklin Pierce University field hockey team was defeated, 5-2, at Saint Anselm in Northeast-10 Conference play at Grappone Stadium. Junior forward Colleen Sears scored twice in the victory for Saint Anselm.

With the loss, Franklin Pierce falls to 8-9 (5-5 Northeast-10), while Saint Anselm improves to 8-8 (3-7 Northeast-10).

Attempting to find their way back to the postseason, the Ravens have now given up five goals in back-to-back games and find themselves tied with Bentley for the sixth and final Northeast-10 Championship berth. As Franklin Pierce holds the head-to-head tiebreaker with the Falcons, the Ravens would qualify with a win at home in the regular-season finale against No. 7 nationally ranked Adelphi on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Sodexo Field. With a loss on Saturday, Franklin Pierce would need an unlikely loss by Bentley at Southern New Hampshire -- which is winless in Northeast-10 play -- on Saturday and hope a three-way tie with Merrimack and Bentley fell in favor of the crimson and grey.

Franklin Pierce dug a hole it could not climb out of in the first half on Wednesday afternoon. The Ravens did not put a shot on goal in the opening 35 minutes, while Saint Anselm piled up a 19-2 advantage in shot attempts and scored all three of the stanza's goals. In the seventh minute, senior midfielder Bridget Davis sent a cross in from the left wing which freshman forward Allia Connolly finished off at the right post for her team-leading 10th goal of the season.

Sears provided the first half's final two goals, as she struck in the 17th and 30th minutes, for her fifth and sixth goals of the campaign, respectively. In the 17th, she wound up with the ball five yards from goal, outside the right post. She had a shooting lane from there, as well as space to wind up, and blasted a shot between the pads of Franklin Pierce freshman goalkeeper Meaghan Williams (Salem, N.H.) to double the lead to 2-0. In the 30th minute, Sears took a pass from freshman back Erin Collins outside the top of the circle on the right side. Sears had a defender challenger her, but was able to stickhandle around back and into the circle. From just inside the circle, she wound and drove the ball inside the left post to make it a 3-0 game.

Franklin Pierce came to life after halftime, and the second half played much more closely, statistically. The Ravens held a 13-11 advantage in shot attempts, an 11-6 edge in corners and a 7-6 advantage in shots on goal over the final 35 minutes.

Still, Saint Anselm struck first in the period, as the second of the season for junior midfielder Taylor Coons pushed the lead as high as 4-0 in the 38th minute. The ball came her way from the right side, and she was able to finish from the left post.

The Ravens responded in the 39th minute. Freshman forward Carly Canavan (Kingston, N.Y.) picked up her first of two assists on the afternoon, as she fed the ball to Kelly in front of the cage. The latter put away her seventh goal of the year to get Franklin Pierce on the board.

Canavan added another helper in the 59th minute, as the Ravens closed the gap to two goals, at 4-2. She set up the second goal of the season for Trainor, whose shot finished inside the right post.

Saint Anselm created the 5-2 final with just five seconds to play. Junior forward Meagan Halligan scored her fifth of the season, unassisted, with a shot inside the right post from the middle of the circle.

Williams made nine saves and took the loss (8-9) in goal for Franklin Pierce, while senior back Adria Liseno (Somersworth, N.H.) contributed her third defensive save of the season. Sophomore Katherine Sears played the first 61:17 in net for Saint Anselm and made three saves against five shots on goal to pick up the win (8-8). Senior Jessica Snow played the final 8:43 on Senior Day for the Hawks and stopped both shots on her cage.

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).