Franklin Pierce and Southern Connecticut State Play to Scoreless Draw (2OT)
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Papageorgiou makes three saves to preserve Ravens first shutout of season
RINDGE, N.H. (September 20, 2008) - Defending NCAA Division II Champion Franklin Pierce University and Southern Connecticut State University, ranked tenth in this week's National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA)/adidas Division II poll, played to a 0-0 double-overtime draw in Northeast-10 Conference men's soccer action to cap Franklin Pierce Men's Soccer Alumni Day at Sodexo Field.
Franklin Pierce, which saw the 2007 squad receive their National Championship rings in a ceremony earlier in the day, extends its regular season unbeaten streak against NE-10 opponents to 18 matches (15-0-3) and runs its regular season home unbeaten run against NE-10 teams to 29 matches (26-0-3) dating back to 2003. It marks the second-straight season these two sides have played to a goalless double-overtime deadlock here at Sodexo Field.
Freshman goalkeeper Vinny Papageorgiou (Wilmington, Mass./Wilmington) earned his first collegiate shutout, making three saves for Franklin Pierce. It also marks the first clean sheet by the Ravens in eight matches this season. Southern Connecticut freshman goalkeeper Andrew Esposito (East Haven, Conn./East Haven) collected six stops to earn his third shutout of the season.
Shots were even at nine apiece in the contest, with Franklin Pierce posting a 6-3 edge in shots on target - including 5-1 after halftime. Despite the 18 combined shots, true scoring chances were few and far between in the defensive struggle. Both sides had decent scoring bids in the opening 20 minutes. The first coming from Franklin Pierce freshman Viktor Gonçalves (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), whose near post header was stopped by Esposito, who was well positioned for a catch save in the 15th minute. Southern senior Igor Santos (Centerville, Mass./Barnstable) was wide open inside the six in the 20th minute, but Papageorgiou was well positioned for a nice stop.
Franklin Pierce's best opportunity of the night came just under seven minutes into the second half, when a volley from Gonçalves from eight yards out off a nice cross went straight to Esposito for a save. Southern's best chance came shortly after, when a header from the left side by sophomore Paul Templeton (Saltcoats, Scotland) caromed off the crossbar in the 65th minute. The Owls forced Papageorgiou to react well to a low drive from 22-yards by junior Vinicius Da Silva (New York, N.Y.) in the 69th minute. Neither goalkeeper was truly tested the rest of the way.
Franklin Pierce (3-4-1, 2-0-1 NE-10) is back in action on Wednesday, when it travels to Saint Michael's College for an NE-10 matchup at 4 p.m. The Ravens return home next Saturday to host Stonehill College at 7 p.m. Southern Connecticut (3-3-2, 2-0-2 NE-10) visits Le Moyne College on Wednesday at 4 p.m.