Dallas Donovan scores first collegiate tally

WALTHAM, Mass. (October 2, 2013) – The Franklin Pierce University men’s soccer team had its two-match winning streak snapped on Wednesday afternoon in a 2-1 setback to Bentley in Waltham, Mass. The Ravens fell to 3-4 overall and 2-2 in the Northeast-10, while the Falcons improved to 5-3 and 4-2 in league play.

Nicolas Ucros scored in the winner in the 80^th minute when he took in a long pass at the center of the box and slipped a shot past Franklin Pierce keeper Sam Meza (Whittier, Calif.). Marty Ryan set up the scoring play with the nice pass, as he assisted on both of Bentley’s markers during the afternoon.

Bentley got the winner in the second half despite being outshot 7-5 during the frame.

Jack Blatchford made a pair of saves in net for Bentley to make Ucros’ goal stand up, as he earned the win to improve to 4-1 on the year. Meza stopped five shots, but suffered the loss to fall to 3-4, while also having his streak of two-straight shutouts snapped as well.

Both teams traded goals in the opening 45 minutes, with the first tally coming from the Falcons 21 minutes in. Scott Levy put Bentley up 1-0 when he took a pass from Ryan, who was sprinting down the right wing, and lifted a shot by Meza for the opening salvo.

Franklin Pierce freshman forward Dallas Donovan (South Yarmouth, Mass.) knotted things up at 1-all 12 minutes later, as he fired a shot from the center of the box past Blatchford. The play was set up by graduate student Chris Stoker (Holden, Mass.), who tallied an assist on the play. It was Donovan’s first collegiate goal, and the first point of Stoker’s career in a Franklin Pierce uniform.

The game settled into a non-descript affair until Ucros’ heroics with 10 minutes remaining.

Franklin Pierce returns to action Saturday when the Ravens travel to face Le Moyne in Syracuse, N.Y. beginning at 12 p.m.

For more information on Franklin Pierce men’s soccer, please visit the team’s page at http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu(.) To follow the program even further, please visit Franklin Pierce Athletics on YouTube (www.youtube.com/FranklinPierceSports), Twitter (www.twitter.com/FPUathletics) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/FranklinPierceRavens). Fans wishing to purchase Franklin Pierce men’s soccer apparel can do so on the athletic department’s online store at athletics.franklinpierce.edu/store(.)