NORTHEAST-10 TOURNAMENT SEMIFINAL #4 Franklin Pierce Advances to Championship on PKs
Top-seeded Ravens edge fourth-seeded Southern New Hampshire, 3-2, in shootout after two sides play to 2-2 double-overtime draw Thorpe stops three penalties in shootout, now 4-1 in shootouts over career
RINDGE, N.H. (October 27, 2006) - Top-seeded Franklin Pierce, ranked No. 4 in this week's National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA)/adidas Division II poll, edged fourth-seeded Southern New Hampshire University, 3-2, in a penalty shootout after the two sides played to a 2-2 double-overtime draw in semifinal round action of the 2006 Northeast-10 Conference men's soccer tournament at Sodexho Field tonight.
Franklin Pierce (16-1-2) advances to the NE-10 championship match for the third-straight year and the Ravens will host second-seeded and No. 13-ranked Southern Connecticut State University (15-2-2) on Sunday at 3 p.m. Southern Connecticut advanced to the final with a 1-0 victory over third-seeded Saint Michael's College earlier today. Southern New Hampshire (9-6-5) awaits word on an NCAA Tournament bid on Monday.
Franklin Pierce, winners of two-straight NE-10 regular season titles, will be in search of its first Conference Tournament title after coming up short the last two years. The Ravens were edged by UMass Lowell in a shootout (Thorpe's lone shootout loss), after the two sides played to a 0-0 draw, in the 2004 title match and were defeated by Le Moyne College, 1-0, at Sodexho Field in 2005.
Junior All-America goalkeeper James Thorpe (East Longmeadow, Mass./Bridgton Academy) improved to 4-1 over his three-year career at Franklin Pierce in penalty shootouts with three stops. He also finished with three saves during 110-minutes of regulation and overtime.
Thorpe set the tone in the shootout with a save to his left on Simon Kearney (Barrow-upon-Humber, England) on the Penmen's first attempt. After Franklin Pierce junior Brendan McMahon (Chapelhall, Scotland) was stopped on the Ravens second kick, Thorpe made another save to his right on SNHU senior All-American David McGuire (Glasgow, Scotland) on the very next attempt.
Thorpe came up big again on SNHU's fifth-round kick following a miss in the fourth round by Franklin Pierce senior back Bisharra Ettienne (Rosedale, N.Y./Dominica State College). Thorpe stopped junior Gabe Mercier (Middleboro, Mass./Middleboro) to his left and grad student David Clifton (London, England) converted the Ravens fifth kick to send them through to the final.
Freshman Matthijs Eppinga (Drachten, The Netherlands) was the offensive star for Franklin Pierce again as he played a role in both Raven goals, notching a goal and assist.
Eppinga knotted the match at a goal apiece in the 81st minute when he headed a cross from the left side by sophomore Marek Hawrylik (Olsztyn, Poland/The Winchendon (Mass.) School) into an open net for his third goal (fourth overall) in the Ravens last three matches.
Eppinga appeared to set up the match-winner for the Ravens with just 1:32 to play in regulation. He connected with Clifton, who chipped a shot from just inside the 18 into the left side of the net, to put Franklin Pierce up 2-1.
However, Southern New Hampshire was awarded a free kick from roughly 26 yards out in the right channel. McGuire drove the free kick towards the far post that hit the cross bar and was swatted off the line by Thorpe, but Penmen junior Matt Delaney (Wallesey, England) knocked in the rebound with just 51-seconds left in regulation.
SNHU opened the scoring in the 52nd minute when senior Bobby Dufour (Hudson, N.H./Alvirne) netted his third goal (fifth overall) in two NE-10 Tournament matches.
Junior goalkeeper Dan Pelc (Hamilton, Ontario/St. Thomas More) posted five saves (three second half) for Southern New Hampshire, who were out-shot 16-9 for the match - including 13-5 in the second half and overtime.