Appah nets fourth goal in five games

EASTON, Mass. (October 7, 2014) – Junior midfielder Lorris Cortijo (Paris, France) and graduate student midfielder Quincy Appah (Accra, Ghana) scored first-half goals on Wednesday afternoon, but two second-half goals led to a 2-1 loss for the Franklin Pierce University men's soccer team on the road at Stonehill in Northeast-10 Conference play at Skyhawk Field. Freshman forward Trevor Torres scored the game-winning goal in the 82nd minute for Stonehill.

With the loss, Franklin Pierce falls to 5-4-1 (3-3-1 Northeast-10), while Stonehill improves to 6-4-1 (4-3-0 Northeast-10). The loss snapped a four-game unbeaten streak for Franklin Pierce.

After the first 20 minutes went scoreless on Wednesday, the Ravens struck for a pair of quick goals in the 22nd and 25th minutes to jump to a 2-0 lead. In the 22nd, Cortijo let a shot fly from outside the penalty area which he was able to tuck into the top-left corner of the net for his third goal of the campaign.

In the 25th, Appah led a two-on-one rush into the offensive end from midfield. He took the shot himself and beat Stonehill junior goalkeeper Luke Besse to the top-right corner for his fourth goal of the season. For Appah, all four of his goals have come in the last five games and he now has eight points in his last three games (3-2-8).

Stonehill cut the lead in half with a goal in the 44th minute to make it 2-1. Junior forward Drew Montano took a low shot from the left side and beat Franklin Pierce freshman goalkeeper Jordan LeGuyader (Jersey, United Kingdom) inside the right post for his third goal of the season.

Trailing by just a goal at the half, the Skyhawks scored once early in the second frame and once late to come away with the 3-2 win. Four minutes into the second half, junior back Evan Devanny connected for his first goal of the season. Later, in the 82nd, freshman back Matthew Gallo served a cross into the penalty area. Torres got his head to the service and redirected the ball into the top-right corner for his first collegiate goal, which would stand as the game-winner.

Stonehill turned up the pressure in the second half, to the tune of advantages of 9-2 in corner kicks, 14-4 in shot attempts and 7-3 in shots on goal. With the effort over the final 45 minutes, the Skyhawks were able to enjoy margins of 11-5 in corners, 20-10 in shots and 11-5 in shots on goal over the course of the game.

LeGuyader finished with eight saves, but suffered the loss (5-2-1) between the pipes for Franklin Pierce. At the other end of the field, Besse stopped three shots to pick up the win (4-2-1) in net for Stonehill.

The Ravens return to the field on Saturday, Oct. 11, when they travel to Saint Rose for a Northeast-10 Conference contest. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. at Plumeri Sports Complex in Albany, N.Y. Franklin Pierce next plays at home on Tuesday, Oct. 14 against Saint Anselm at 7 p.m.

For more information on Franklin Pierce Athletics, please visit the official website of Franklin Pierce Athletics (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu). Also be sure to follow the Ravens through the Department of Athletics' official Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/FranklinPierceRavens), its YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/franklinpiercesports) and its Twitter feed (http://twitter.com/FPUathletics). Fans wishing to purchase Franklin Pierce men's soccer apparel can do so at the Department of Athletics' online store (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu/store).