Magee finds net as well

RINDGE, N.H. (October 24, 2015) – In a script different from recent games, it was the Franklin Pierce University men's soccer team which erased a late deficit on Saturday night, as senior midfielder Lorris Cortijo (Paris, France) knotted the game at 2-2 with just 1:17 to play in regulation. The effort went for naught however, as Saint Rose sophomore forward Romaine Williamson buried a rebound 3:35 into overtime to send the Golden Knights away with a 3-2 win in Northeast-10 Conference play at Sodexo Field.

With the loss, Franklin Pierce falls to 4-8-3 (2-6-3 Northeast-10), while Saint Rose improves to 7-6-1 (6-4-1 Northeast-10). The loss, combined with results from around the league on Saturday, eliminated Franklin Pierce from postseason contention.

The two teams traded first-half goals in a span of just 4:08 before the midpoint of the stanza. First, in the 18th minute, Williamson put a shot on target from the left side. Franklin Pierce sophomore goalkeeper Jordan LeGuyader (Jersey, United Kingdom) made the initial stop, but the rebound stayed in the middle of the field. Senior midfielder Marco Pavlin was first on the scene and finished from the vicinity of the penalty spot for his first goal of the season.

Franklin Pierce answered in the 22nd minute, to tie the game at 1-1. With the ball deep in the left-wing corner, senior midfielder George Levantakis (Lynnfield, Mass.) was able to send a low ball out to the top of the 18-yard box, just to the left of the circle. The pass found graduate student midfielder David Magee (Lurgan, Ireland), who was able to step into a shot from there and put it inside the right post for his second goal of the campaign.

Nearly the entire next hour went without further scoring, before Saint Rose struck for a 2-1 lead in the 74th minute. A give-and-go with junior midfielder Nick Menozzi left freshman forward Ryan Rooney with the ball and speed cutting across the top of the penalty area from left to right. As he reached the middle of the field, he uncorked a shot and finished inside the right post for his second goal of the season.

The Ravens needed until nearly the final minute to answer, as Cortijo finally found the equalizer with just 77 seconds to play. Levantakis did some of the heavy lifting on the play, as he carried the ball into the box on the left-wing side and then had to fight to maintain possession along the end line. When he found a lane, he was able to chip a short pass to Cortijo, whose volley beat Saint Rose senior goalkeeper Colan Balkwell inside the left post to tie the game up. It was Cortijo's third score of the year.

The celebration was short-lived for Franklin Pierce, as Saint Rose would still come away the winner, but after 93:35 instead of the customary 90 minutes. On the game-winner, the initial shot on the play came from Pavlin at the top of the box and was parried aside by LeGuyader. However, the rebound stayed in the box on the right side and Williamson was on the scene before the back line could track him down. Williamson had the empty net and did not miss, salting away his team-leading seventh goal of the season to send the Golden Knights away winners.

LeGuyader (4-7-3) finished with five saves against eight shots on goal in the losing effort for Franklin Pierce. Balkwell (7-5-1) made four saves against six shots on goal in net for Saint Rose.

The Ravens return to the field on Tuesday, Oct. 27, when they travel to Le Moyne for a Northeast-10 Conference contest. Game time is set for 3 p.m. at Ted Grant Field in Syracuse, 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).