Paul Latif factors in on both FPU goals with goal and assist; Diego Tabares knees in impressive goal; Michael Busto comes up with big block on potential tying goal late in match

BOXSCORE                                           

RINDGE, N.H. (September 26, 2010) – The No. 25-nationally ranked Franklin Pierce University men’s soccer team scored twice in the early stages of Sunday’s match and hung on for a hard-fought 2-1 victory over 16^th-ranked Merrimack at Sodexo Field in Rindge. The Ravens improved to 6-1 overall and 4-0 in Northeast-10 competition, while handing Merrimack its first loss of the season as the Warriors fell to 6-1 and 2-1 in league play.

Junior midfielder Paul Latif (Newcastle, England) assisted on the game’s first goal and scored the second tally of the contest, which ultimately proved to be the game-winner.

In the sixth minute, he sent a crossing pass in front of the net, which junior midfielder Diego Tabares (Seekonk, Mass.) kneed into the net to make it 1-0 Franklin Pierce. Tabares made an outstanding play on the ball as he shot past the Merrimack back and got himself into position to attack the ball and knee it in for his second of the season.

Both teams each exchanged one more solid scoring chance in the first 45 minutes, but neither could convert and the Ravens held the one-goal advantage at halftime.

Latif put Franklin Pierce up 2-0 in the 51^st minute as he scored off a free-kick attempt from the left side of the goal. His tally was the third of the season, moving him into a tie with Victor Goncalves (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) for the team lead in goals.

However, Merrimack picked up the intensity over the remaining stages of the game and pulled to within 2-1 in the 84^th minute when Robbie Sabadoz scored off a rebound attempt in front of FPU goalkeeper Vinny Papageorgiou (Wilmington, Mass.).

Merrimack had two more solid scoring chances in the final two minutes, but Latif and Michael Busto (Honolulu, Hawai’i) each made tremendous blocks on shot attempts by the Warriors, thus preventing the tying goal.

Latif has been a major force during Franklin Pierce’s recent four-match winning streak as he has factored in the game-winning goal in each triumph. He scored the winner in a 2-0 triumph at UMass-Lowell on Sept. 14, assisted on Tyler Rosa’s (Rehoboth, Mass.) goal in the second overtime of last Sunday’s 1-0 win at New Haven, and scored the winner in Wednesday’s 2-1 come-from-behind win over defending NE-10 champion Le Moyne.

Papageorgiou made four saves to earn the win and run his record to 6-1 on the season. Franklin Pierce out-shot the Warriors by a count of 13-11.

Franklin Pierce has a mid-week bye, but will return to action next Saturday when it plays host to Southern Connecticut at 7 p.m. in Sodexo Field.

For more information on Franklin Pierce men’s soccer, please visit the team’s page at athletics.franklinpierce.edu(.) You can also visit www.youtube.com/franklinpiercesports(,) www.twitter.com/FPUathletics and www.Facebook.com/FranklinPierceAthletics to find out more about the program.