Ravens visit SNHU on Wednesday

GARDEN CITY, N.Y. (October 17, 2015) – Down 3-0 before it could settle in on Saturday afternoon at Motamed Field, the Franklin Pierce University field hockey team never recovered in a 4-0 loss at No. 8 nationally ranked Adelphi in Northeast-10 Conference play. Senior midfielder Molly Cuevas scored twice and added an assist for the Panthers, while senior forward Kristen Bagley had a goal and an assist.

With the loss, Franklin Pierce falls to 8-6 (3-5 Northeast-10), while Adelphi improves to 11-3 (7-1 Northeast-10).

Adelphi struck three times in the opening 12:03 to take control of the game early. In just the fourth minute, Cuevas set up the fourth of the season for sophomore forward Elizabeth Mercuri. The latter took the feed, reversed her stick and put the ball into the right side of the net.

The lead quickly doubled to 2-0 in the sixth minute, when Cuevas struck for her team-leading ninth of the season, as she finished off a rebound. Just 6:04 later, in the 13th minute, Cuevas completed her double, off of a corner play. The Panthers worked the ball into the middle for Bagley, who sent it back up to the top of the circle for Cuevas, who let fly and scored from there.

Franklin Pierce was able to settle in after the second Cuevas goal, though it struggled to generate chances throughout the day. Over the course of the 70 minutes, Adelphi enjoyed advantages of 13-5 in shot attempts, 10-2 in shots on goal and 7-2 in penalty corners.

After the remainder of the first half went without further scoring, Adelphi tacked on a final insurance marker, as it scored the second half's only goal in the 55th minute. Junior forward Lena Pollich sent a feed into the middle, and Bagley was able to redirect it to the back of the cage for her fourth goal of the campaign, to create the 4-0 final.

Sophomore goalkeeper Meaghan Williams (Salem, N.H.) finished with six saves against 10 shots on goal and took the loss (7-5) in goal for Franklin Pierce. At the other end of the field, sophomore Amanda Gargiulo (11-3) stopped both shots on her cage to notch the win for Adelphi and pick up her fifth shutout of the season.

The Ravens return to the field on Wednesday, Oct. 21, when they travel to Southern New Hampshire for a Northeast-10 Conference contest. Game time is set for 6 p.m. at Larkin Field in Manchester, N.H.

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).