KUTZTOWN, Pa. (September 7, 2018) – The Franklin Pierce University field hockey team weathered the storm on Friday afternoon. Under siege for the first half, the Ravens limited the damage on the road at No. 8 nationally ranked Kutztown, behind seven saves in the period from sophomore goalkeeper Olivia Barnes (Greenwich, N.Y.). Franklin Pierce then struck once in a much more balanced second half at Andre Reed Stadium. It all set the stage for an overtime breakaway, which led to the game-winning goal from senior forward Rachel Lapointe (Greenfield, Mass.) – her first career score – to lift the Ravens to a 2-1 win in non-conference play.

With the win, Franklin Pierce improves to 2-0, while Kutztown falls to 1-1. Friday marked the first ever meeting between the two teams.

The game-winner came just over five minutes into the first 10-minute overtime session. From the midfield, freshman midfielder Feline van Doorn (Barendrecht, Netherlands) thumped the ball down the right-wing sideline, which sprung Lapointe on a partial breakaway. Lapointe powered into the circle and brought the ball towards the front of the cage, where she was met by Kutztown freshman goalkeeper Katie Dotterweich. Lapointe – who appeared to briefly think about a reverse-stick shot as she cut to the goal -- alertly pulled the ball back, spun to her left and made nearly a full circle to set up the ball on her forehand instead. By then, the Kutztown defense had begun to catch up, but Lapointe still had Dotterweich well out of position. Lapointe then eluded two back-checking Golden Bear defenders and pumped her first career goal to the back of the cage to send the Ravens' bench spilling off the sideline in celebration.

Earlier in the day, Kutztown's top-10 pedigree was on display in a dominant first half which, statistically, read very poorly for Franklin Pierce. The Golden Bears forced multiple defensive-end turnovers as they piled up advantages of 13-1 in shot attempts, 8-0 in shots on goal and 8-0 in penalty corners in the first stanza. Anchored by the effort from Barnes in net though, the Ravens surrendered just one tally in the opening 35 minutes.

The lone goal of the first half came in the 11^th minute, on a quick counter by Kutztown off of a Franklin Pierce turnover, as the Ravens attempted to clear their own end. Ultimately, freshman midfielder Rachel Dusman worked the ball to junior forward Kyra Wozniak, who had a shooting lane from the right side of the circle. Shoot she did, and she put the ball to the back of the cage for her third goal of the season.

The Golden Bears had a spectacular opportunity to double the lead in the 26^th minute, this time after the Ravens back line failed to clear even the circle without turning the ball over. The ball wound up on Wozniak's stick, with room to work with on the left side of the circle this time, but she put her shot wide of the right post.

Kutztown would also get a late chance, amid a flurry of activity immediately in front of the Franklin Pierce cage in the final 10 seconds of the stanza. Barnes made a pair of saves in the skirmish to keep the game at just 1-0 heading into the halftime break.

The missed opportunities would prove extremely costly for the Golden Bears, as Franklin Pierce began to hold its own in the second half. Kutztown still held statistical advantages after halftime, but they were less pronounced for the remainder of the game.

The Ravens earned just one penalty corner in the game, but they made it count, in the 59^th minute. Franklin Pierce worked the ball to the left edge of the circle for junior midfielder Allison Collins (Sandown, N.H.), who uncorked her shot from there. The shot was knocked down, and there was a scramble for possession in front of the left post. Eventually, freshman back Julianne Sacco (Southborough, Mass.) was able to get her stick to the ball and slot it away for her first career goal, which evened the score at 1-1.

Kutztown had one chance to reclaim the lead in regulation, but came up empty. In the 68^th minute, sophomore forward Trinity Ponton came into the circle in front of the left post on a partial breakaway. She was not able to get much on her shot while on the run, but she succeeded in pushing it past Barnes, who had come out to challenge the attempt. However, the shot was narrowly off-target, as the ball hit the outside of the post and caromed out of bounds. The miss would be the final significant scoring chance for either side before Lapointe's overtime heroics.

Barnes (2-0), in just her second collegiate start, was stellar, as she held down the fort early until the rest of the team could respond in the second half. She finished with 11 saves – seven of which came in the first half – against 12 shots on goal to pick up the win.

At the other end of the field, Dotterweich (1-1) made just one save against three shots on goal and suffered the loss.

The Ravens return to the field on Saturday, Sept. 8, when they take on Lindenwood (Mo.) in a non-conference neutral-site contest. The game will be hosted by Molloy College in Seaford, N.Y., and game time is set for 11 a.m.

For more information on Franklin Pierce Athletics, please visit the official website of Franklin Pierce Athletics (https://www.fpuraves.com). 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 (https://www.fpuravens.com/store).