SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (September 21, 2016) – For the second straight outing, the Franklin Pierce University field hockey team dropped a 1-0 decision on Wednesday night, this time on the road at No. 9 nationally ranked American International. The Yellow Jackets got a goal from senior forward Taylor Ruscillo in the 89th minute to defeat the Ravens in Northeast-10 Conference play at Abdow Field.

With the loss, Franklin Pierce falls to 2-4 (0-2 Northeast-10), while American International improves to 6-1 (2-0 Northeast-10) and has won four in a row. Franklin Pierce has now lost four straight and is currently mired in a scoreless streak of 198:29, stretching back to the first half against Saint Anselm on Sept. 11.

AIC struck for the game's only goal just 3:49 into the second extra session on Wednesday night. The play developed quickly in the middle of the offensive end of the field, beginning with freshman midfielder Paris McGuckin at the top of the circle. McGuckin played the ball down the middle of the circle, putting it low and towards the goal. Ruscillo got a touch of the ball with her stick as it went by and was able to redirect it along the ground and inside the right post for team-leading third goal of the season.

Earlier in the night, the two teams sputtered offensively through much of regulation, with little in the way of quality scoring chances to be found for either side. This was particularly the case in the first half, when the two teams combined for just four shot attempts, and only two shots on goal, both for AIC. The Yellow Jackets would enjoy controlling the majority of possession throughout regulation, but could not break the deadlock.

Franklin Pierce had a golden opportunity to end things -- and its best scoring chance of the night -- midway through the first overtime, in the 77th minute. Junior forward Danielle Harris (Templeton, Mass.) had the ball on the right-wing side and played a long cross to the middle for senior midfielder Kenady Kelly (Plymouth, N.H.), who had space to work with outside the top of the circle. Kelly had just the goalkeeper to beat as she stepped into the circle, but her shot found the pads of AIC sophomore netminder Taylor Ross. The rebound came to the middle of the circle for junior forward Carly Canavan (Kingston, N.Y.), but she could not put a shot back towards the cage before the defense cleared the ball away.

Junior goalkeeper Meaghan Williams (Salem, N.H.) finished with 11 saves against 12 shots on goal and suffered the loss (2-4) for Franklin Pierce. Meanwhile, Ross (6-1) stopped all three shots on her cage to pick up the win and her third shutout of the season for AIC.

The Ravens return to the field on Saturday, Sept. 24, when they travel to Merrimack for a Northeast-10 contest. Game time is set for 6 p.m. at Martone-Mejail Field in North Andover, Mass.

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).