Madden nets first collegiate goal

RINDGE, N.H. (October 13, 2015) – A pair of goals 10 minutes apart in the second half briefly allowed the Franklin Pierce University men's soccer team to surge to a 2-1 lead on Tuesday afternoon, but another goal another 10 minutes later would bring Adelphi even. The penalty kick from graduate student midfielder Alejandro Penzini would stand as the game's final goal at Sodexo Field, as the two sides played to a 2-2 draw in Northeast-10 Conference play.

With the tie, Franklin Pierce stands at 4-6-2 (2-4-2 Northeast-10), while Adelphi moves to 7-2-3 (5-1-2 Northeast-10).

The only goal of the first half came on the Adelphi side of the ledger, in the 18th minute. The Panthers worked their way into an odd-man situation, with a two-on-one in the right side of the penalty area. A feed from senior midfielder Shane McLaughlin into the middle for freshman forward James Thristino led to an empty-net finish for the latter's sixth of the season, tying him for the team lead.

Franklin Pierce would draw even after the intermission, on a penalty kick, after Adelphi was whistled for handling the ball inside the penalty area. Freshman back Charlie Madden (Newton Abbot, United Kingdom), who made his collegiate debut on Wednesday, but the ball into the left side of the net on the 54th-minute penalty for his first career goal.

Just over 10 minutes later, in the 64th minute, the Ravens struck for the lead. With the ball near the end line along the left-wing side, senior midfielder George Levantakis (Lynnfield, Mass.) sent a low cross skittering across the top of the six-yard box. The pass eluded both the defenders and the keeper, setting up a one-touch finish into the gaping net for senior forward Marius Preber (Jessheim, Norway), who notched his team-leading fifth goal of the season.

Another 10 minutes later, in the 74th minute, a foul in the box led to a penalty kick for Adelphi. Penzini took the kick and put it away in the right side of the net for his third goal of the season. The goal would cap the scoring, as the remaining regulation time and the entirety of both overtimes went without further scoring.

Sophomore goalkeeper Jordan LeGuyader (Jersey, United Kingdom) finished with seven saves against nine shots on goal in the tie (4-5-2) for Franklin Pierce. Adelphi junior Sergio Reyes (7-2-3) made four saves against six shots on goal at the other end of the field.

The Ravens return to the field on Saturday, Oct. 17, when they travel to Merrimack for a Northeast-10 Conference contest. Game time is set for 6 p.m. at Martone-Mejail Field in North Andover, Mass.

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).