Ravens host New Haven Saturday

MANCHESTER, N.H. (September 30, 2015) – The Franklin Pierce University men's soccer team surrendered just one goal to No. 4 nationally ranked Southern New Hampshire on the road on Wednesday night, but the first-half strike would stand as the only goal of the game. Senior back Dominic Samuel found the back of the net in the 21st minute at Penmen Field to provide the key play of SNHU's 1-0 Northeast-10 Conference victory.

With the loss, Franklin Pierce falls to 3-4-1 (1-3-1 Northeast-10), while Southern New Hampshire improves to 8-0-0 (5-0-0 Northeast-10).

The game's only tally came in the aftermath of a free kick from approximately 25 yards out on the left side. Though Franklin Pierce parried the initial thrust by the Penmen on the 21st-minute play, the ball wound up to the left of the penalty spot, about 12 yards out. Samuel was the man in the best position to do anything with it and buried it into the left side of the net with his left foot before anybody else had time to react. It was Samuel's third goal of the season and senior back Jaytoe Teh was credited with the assist.

Franklin Pierce was able to produce more sustained possession in the second half than it did in the first, but was unable to generate many quality scoring chances as a result. The best chance of the night for the Ravens came in the 51st minute. On a corner kick from the left-wing side of the net, senior forward Marius Preber (Jessheim, Norway) was able to rise above the crowd and get his head to the ball, looking to redirect it inside the right post. Preber couldn't quite get his head on top of the ball though, as the header wound up sailing over the top-right corner of the goal.

In all, SNHU recorded a 14-6 advantage in shot attempts, while each team put four shots on goal.

Sophomore goalkeeper Jordan LeGuyader (Jersey, United Kingdom) made three saves and suffered the loss (3-4-1) in goal for Franklin Pierce. Senior Nick Zucco (7-0-0) stopped all four shots he faced to notch his fifth shutout of the season for SNHU.

The Ravens return to the field on Saturday, Oct. 3, when they return home to host New Haven in a Northeast-10 Conference contest. Game time is set for 5:30 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 can do so at the Department of Athletics' online store (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu/store).