Preber scores sixth of season

NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. (October 17, 2015) – After having seen three second-half leads evaporate in the last month, the Franklin Pierce University men's soccer team was again undone in the final 45 minutes on Saturday night, though this time, the decisive blow came later and harsher than it had before. Merrimack junior forward Jaime Cortes Torres headed home a cross with just eight seconds remaining in regulation to lift the Warriors to a 2-1 win in Northeast-10 Conference play at Martone-Mejail Field.

With the loss, Franklin Pierce falls to 4-7-2 (2-5-2 Northeast-10), while Merrimack improves to 9-2-2 (5-2-2 Northeast-10).

After the first half went scoreless, the two teams traded goals early in the second half. First, in the 46th minute, the Ravens struck just 53 seconds into the second stanza. Freshman midfielder Lloyd Ross (London, England) was able to spring senior forward Marius Preber (Jessheim, Norway) with a through ball, and the latter put home a one-time finish for his team-leading sixth goal of the season.

Just 2:48 later, in the 49th minute, Merrimack tied things right back up at 1-1. Junior forward Alexander Alleyne put away his second goal of the campaign, unassisted, off of a shot from the top of the penalty area.

After the quick bevy of scoring, the teams again fell into a defensive struggle. It all set the stage for Torres' late heroics, just as it seemed the game was destined for overtime. Deep into the 90th minute, senior back Douglas Searl sent a cross into the box. Torres was able to get his head on top of it to finish off his third goal of the season, leave the Ravens stunned, and send Merrimack away winners.

Merrimack had controlled the run of play at times throughout the evening. Over the course of 90 minutes, the Warriors amassed advantages of 19-6 in shot attempts and 9-2 in shots on goal.

Sophomore goalkeeper Jordan LeGuyader (Jersey, United Kingdom) finished with six saves against eight shots while taking the loss (4-6-2) for Franklin Pierce, as the defense chipped in a team save along the way as well. For Merrimack, sophomore Lucas Rezende (9-2-2) made one save against two shots to pick up the victory.

The Ravens return to the field on Wednesday, Oct. 21, when they travel to Bentley for a Northeast-10 Conference contest. Game time is set for 3 p.m. at Bentley Soccer Field in Waltham, 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).