2005 NCAA DIVISION II QUARTERFINAL #15 Franklin Pierce Advances to Final Four on Shootout
Ravens reach Final Four for second time, first since 1991, with 3-2 decision in penalty shootout over #12 New York Institute of Technology after two sides play to 1-1 draw
RINDGE, N.H. (November 19, 2005) - Franklin Pierce, ranked No. 15 in the final regular season National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA)/adidas Division II poll, will make its second trip to the final four (first since 1991) after posting a 3-2 decision over No. 12 New York Institute of Technology after the two sides played to a 1-1 double-overtime draw in quarterfinal round action of the NCAA Division II Men's Soccer Championship at Sodexho Field tonight.
Franklin Pierce (15-5-5) advances to the National Semifinal for the second time in program history after also reaching the final four in 1991. The Ravens will face No. 4-ranked SIU-Edwardsville, a 1-0 victor over No. 6 Carson-Newman (Tenn.) University tonight in Illinois, on Friday, December 2, at a time to be determined on Monday. Midwestern State University, in Wichita Falls, Texas, is host for the semifinals and championship. NYIT sees its season come to a close with a 14-3-5 overall record.
"(Franklin Pierce) is a very, very good team," said NYIT head coach Carlos Del Cid. "We played No. 9 (Lynn) and No. 3 (Dowling) and they are the best team we've seen all year. (Joyce) and (Guimaraes) are two excellent players. They deserved to advance tonight."
The men will join the Franklin Pierce women's team in Texas as the two teams have reached the semifinal round for the first time in school history in the same year. The women earned their Division II record 13th final four berth in 14 years with a 2-1 victory over No. 5 West Chester (Pa.) University at Sodexho Field earlier this afternoon.
"With a first class facility like (Sodexho Field) it's up to the coaches to make it happen," said Franklin Pierce head coach Marco Koolman. "President (George) Hagerty and (athletic director) Bruce Kirsh have given us the opportunity and it's our responsibility to make it pay off. It's a great thing for the College."
Sophomore goalkeeper James Thorpe (East Longmeadow, Mass./Bridgton Academy) stopped two NYIT penalty kicks in the shootout after registering three saves during the 110-minutes of play. Thorpe anticipated senior Christian Caines (Trinidad & Tobago) on the Bears second attempt with a save to the left side, then stopped freshman Dan Goldberg (Haifa, Israel) in the fifth round to his left to seal the Ravens final four berth.
"I'm so used to (penalty kicks) now," said Thorpe. "This is my fourth time with them and it's just my second year. On the first save, I saw him look to my left and just gambled that he wouldn't change his mind. PK's are the worst way to win and the worst way to lose."
The match pitted the top two scorers in Division II in Franklin Pierce All-American Christopher Joyce (Jarrow, England) and NYIT senior Peter Antoniades (London, England). Joyce netted the Ravens lone goal off a NYIT turnover, while the Ravens defensive unit limited Antoniades to one shot in the match. Antoniades also pulled his penalty attempt in the third round of the shootout wide to the left side.
Joyce opened the scoring when he collected a defensive turnover deep in the NYIT defensive end and fired a low shot into the left corner from just inside the top of the 18 at 33:02. The goal was his DII-leading 28th of the season - now just one shy of the program's single-season record of 29 set by former two-time All-American Bojan Vuckovic in 1992.
"We always knew it was going to be a hard match tonight," said Joyce. "It's a credit to the team, we have a lot of character and a lot of pride and it showed tonight."
New York Tech forced overtime with an equalizer with just 4:24 left in regulation. Caines collected a loose ball, took a couple of touches, then fired a low drive into the lower right corner that looked to have been slightly deflected in the 86th minute.
"We played a 4-4-2 formation to keep the score at 1-0," said Del Cid. "Then we switched to 3-4-3 after halftime so we could attack more. It didn't matter if we lost one, two or three to zero."
Both sides had chances in the two overtime sessions. Franklin Pierce junior back Bisharra Ettienne (Queens, N.Y./Dominica State College) nearly ended the match with a toe-poke inside the six during a scramble off a corner kick 3:13 into the first overtime, but Caines cleared the ball off the line with the keeper stuck out of position. Thorpe was well positioned for a catch save on an Antoniades header from eight yards out in the 99th minute.
Freshman goalkeeper Harris Smiler (Alameda, Calif./Alameda) made three saves in goal for NYIT.
"This is a very tough thing," said Del Cid. "We have ten seniors, which is my first recruiting class, who will graduate. But we have a good group of players who will be back that we will build around for the future."
While Franklin Pierce is making its first trip to the final four since 1991, Koolman will be making his fourth trip - his second as a coach. Koolman was a member of two Golden Knight squads that reached the national semifinals in 1989 and 1990, and then led his alma mater to the final four in his third season as head coach in 1993.
"A season is a journey," said Koolman. "Everyone forgets we had to replace three graduated midfielders with three freshman and it took a while for us to find ourselves. I credit every individual on this team, this is such a special group with so much leadership and character. All of the credit goes to them."