Takefusa double lifts Ravens past upset-minded Chieftains

EASTON, Mass. (October 21, 2002) - Franklin Pierce, ranked fifth in this week's New England regional poll, edged an upset-minded Stonehill College for a 2-1 double-overtime victory in Northeast-10 Conference men's soccer action at Crystal Field this afternoon.

Junior striker Bjorgolfor Takefusa (Reykjavik, Iceland) netted both Franklin Pierce goals with the game-winning goal coming in the 103rd minute of play. The strike avoided what could have been the Ravens school-record fifth tie of the season, surpassing the record of four, set in 1981.

After the teams played through a scoreless first half, Takefusa opened the scoring at the 56:35-mark with a goal on a direct kick from 20-yards out.

Stonehill answered with an equalizing tally just under seven-minutes later when junior Matt Stone flicked a kick from senior goalkeeper Dan Niedringhaus to John Pomar (Weymouth, Mass./Weymouth), who scored from the left side.

Takefusa ended the match just 2:10 into the second overtime session when he collected a rebound from junior Felix Brillant (Montreal, Quebec/College Francais) and buried the shot past Niedringhaus.

Franklin Pierce out-shot Stonehill by a 21-11 margin and Niedringhaus kept the Chieftains in the match with 15 saves, including seven point blank stops. Ravens junior Domenico Roma (Windsor, Ontario/Ste. Annes) preserved the win with six saves.

Franklin Pierce (8-3-4, 5-2-4 NE-10) returns to the pitch on Wednesday night when it travels to New Haven, Conn., for a key Conference battle with No. 1-ranked Southern Connecticut State University at 7 p.m. Stonehill (3-11-1, 3-9 NE-10) hosts Bentley College on Saturday.

Franklin Pierce 2, Stonehill 1 (2OT)

Scoring Summary: FP: Bjorgolfor Takefusa (unassisted), 56:35; SC: John Pomar (Matt Stone, Dan Niedringhaus), 63:12; FP: Takefusa (Felix Brillant), 102:10.
Goalkeepers: FP: Domenico Roma (102:10), six saves; SC: Dan Niedringhaus (102:10), 15 saves.
Shots: FP: 21, SC: 11