Late LeBlanc Double Pushes Field Hockey over Dowling, 2-1, in Season Opener

Canavan assists on both as Ravens rally

RINDGE, N.H. (September 5, 2015) – It would have been tough for senior midfielder Vanessa LeBlanc (Salisbury, Mass.) of the Franklin Pierce University field hockey team to pick a more opportune time for the first two goals of her collegiate career, even if she had been given the option. On a sun-soaked Sodexo Field on Saturday afternoon, LeBlanc scored in the 65th minute to level the score at 1-1, and struck again in the 68th minute with the game-winning goal, as the Ravens escaped with a 2-1 win over Dowling in non-conference play.

With the win, Franklin Pierce opens its season at 1-0 (0-0 Northeast-10), while Dowling falls to 0-1. The game was the collegiate coaching debut for Franklin Pierce head coach Zoe Adkins, who opened her career with a win.

Though Franklin Pierce controlled the run of play for a vast majority of the afternoon's proceedings, the game's first goal did not come until the 61st minute and went the other way. Off a penalty corner play -- started by junior midfielder Arianna Shams-Kollar -- the Golden Lions worked the ball to the top of the circle on the right side for freshman midfielder Shannon McGuinness. McGuinness threw the ball towards the cage from there and junior forward Jenna Stevenson got her stick to it en route to deflect it over the goalkeeper's shoulder and into the back of the net.

With just 9:01 to work with after falling behind, the Ravens needed quick offense and would ultimately get it from LeBlanc. In the aftermath of a penalty corner, the ball wound up in the middle of a scramble in front of the cage. Amid the assorted feet and sticks, sophomore forward Carly Canavan (Kingston, N.Y.) got her stick to the ball and pushed it off to the left. LeBlanc was waiting for the feed in front of the left post and slammed home her first career goal in the 65th minute.

It took just 3:20 for LeBlanc to untie the game she had just evened up. The midfield provided the setup, as a long ball sprung Canavan on a breakaway from the midfield stripe in, with LeBlanc trailing on her right. Dowling senior goalkeeper Ariana Ovadia charged out from the circle to try to smother the play, but Canavan was able to lay the ball off on the right-wing side. The dish led to an easy collect and finish into the vacated cage for LeBlanc.

The two quick strikes provided a victory the Ravens had certainly earned with their work on the afternoon. Franklin Pierce piled up advantages of 25-11 in shot attempts, 11-5 in shots on goal and 9-6 in penalty corners on the day.

The rally also made a winner (1-0) out of sophomore goalkeeper Meaghan Williams (Salem, N.H.), who stopped four of the five shots on her cage, including three in quick succession on a flurry of action to the right of the goal less than two minutes after LeBlanc had tied the game at 1-1.

At the other end of the field, Ovadia finished with eight saves against 10 shots, but took the loss (0-1) in net for Dowling. Freshman back Olivia Beauvois added a defensive save late in the first half, which kept the game scoreless at the time.

The Ravens return to the field on Sunday, Sept. 6, when they remain home to host Bentley in a non-conference contest. Game time is set for 11 a.m. at Sodexo Field.

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 can do so at the Department of Athletics' online store (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu/store).