Ravens travel to Dowling Wednesday

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (September 5, 2015) – In a game which played statistically even, the only two markers on the scoreboard went against the crimson and grey on Saturday night, as the Franklin Pierce University men's soccer team dropped a 2-0 decision at Bridgeport in its season opener at Knights Field. Junior forward Luka Ivanovic scored both goals in the non-conference contest for Bridgeport.

With the loss, Franklin Pierce opens the season at 0-1-0 (0-0-0 Northeast-10), while Bridgeport improves to 1-0-0 (0-0-0 East Coast). The game was the Franklin Pierce coaching debut for Roy Fink.

A glance across the stat sheet for the game would not bring to mind a 2-0 affair on Saturday night, though that's where the scoreline wound up. Both teams attempted 12 shots over the course of 90 minutes, with Franklin Pierce holding a 7-6 edge in shots on goal and a 9-4 advantage in corner kicks.

The only goal Bridgeport would need came in the ninth minute, before the sun had set on the Park City, after the Ravens were whistled for handling the ball inside the penalty area. Ivanovic salted away the resulting penalty kick for his first goal of the season.

The remainder of the first half went without further scoring, as did much of the second half, before Ivanovic completed his double in the 76th minute. Senior midfielder Erick Romero set things up with a through ball, which Ivanovic was able to get on the other end of. The defense beaten, he put his shot into the lower-left corner for his second goal of the night to cap the game's scoring.

Sophomore goalkeeper Jordan LeGuyader (Jersey, United Kingdom) finished with four saves against six shots on goal while taking the loss (0-1-0) in goal for Franklin Pierce.

At the other end of the field, freshman Daniel Coviella played the opening 36:32 and stopped all three shots he faced to pick up the win (2-0-0) for Bridgeport. Fabio Junior, a junior keeper, logged the final 53:28 and stopped all four shots on his net to complete the shutout. Coviella left due to injury in the 37th minute, after he appeared to hit the goalpost face-first while attempting to make a save.

The Ravens return to the field on Wednesday, Sept. 9, when they travel to Dowling for a non-conference contest. Game time is set for 7 p.m. at Golden Lions Field in Shirley, N.Y.

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 can do so at the Department of Athletics' online store (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu/store).