Fati Second-Half Goal Difference as Men’s Soccer Wins at Saint Rose, 2-1

Graduate student nets first goal as a Raven

ALBANY, N.Y. (October 11, 2014) -- Graduate student midfielder Bruno Fati (Brussels, Belgium) converted a free kick in the 66th minute on Saturday afternoon to break a 1-1 tie and lift the Franklin Pierce University men's soccer team to a 2-1 win over Saint Rose in Northeast-10 Conference play at Plumeri Sports Complex. Sophomore midfielder Tyler Casavant scored the lone goal in defeat for Saint Rose.

With the win, Franklin Pierce improves to 6-4-1 (4-3-1 Northeast-10), while Saint Rose falls to 1-9-1 (1-6-0 Northeast-10). The Golden Knights have now lost seven in a row dating to a 2-1 win over New Haven on Sept. 16.

The two teams traded first-half goals in the Empire State on Saturday afternoon. In the 20th minute, graduate student midfielder David Magee (Lurgan, Ireland) split the backline with a through ball, which connected with a run from junior forward Marius Preber (Jessheim, Norway). Preber was able to put the ball away into the lower-right corner of the net to score his fourth goal of the season. For Preber, it was his fourth goal in the last five games.

Saint Rose was able to draw level in the 39th minute, on the first goal of the season from Casavant. The sophomore was able to drill a rebound into the upper reaches of the net to tie the game at 1-1.

Nearly another 30 minutes would go by the boards before the next goal, which came from Fati in the 66th minute. A foul by Saint Rose set Franklin Pierce up with a free kick from the left flank. Fati shot directly off the free kick and was able to find the top-right corner of the net to notch his first collegiate goal.

After the Fati goal, Saint Rose would earn three corner kicks over the final 24 minutes, but could not record a shot on goal, as the Ravens left town with the 2-1 win.

Freshman goalkeeper Jordan LeGuyader (Jersey, United Kingdom) made five saves against six shots on his net to pick up the win (6-2-1) between the pipes for Franklin Pierce. At the other end of the field, junior Colan Balkwell piled up nine saves against 11 shots on goal, but was stuck with the loss (1-7-1) in front of the Saint Rose net.

The Ravens return to the field on Tuesday, Oct. 14, when they return home to host Saint Anselm in a Northeast-10 Conference contest. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Sodexo Field in Rindge.

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).