Article by Department of Athletics Student-Staff Writer Rich Rosa 

Rindge, N.H. (9/02/2023) -- It was a packed crowd at Sodexo Field as the No. 1 nationally ranked Franklin Pierce men's soccer team started their 2022 NCAA Division II National Championship title defense with a 3-0 win against the Queens College Knights.

The Ravens captured their 18th consecutive win, a streak that began on September 24th of last season. Head coach Travis Brent got the win in his coaching debut with the Ravens.

Two words to describe Franklin Pierce's performance today: physical and disciplined. Franklin Pierce controlled the tempo from the opening kick as they pestered the Knights in their zone. The Ravens had nine corner kick opportunities, and they outshot the Knights 6-1 in the first half. In the 39th minute, Younes Addar Khanoussi (Castellon, Spain) opened the scoring for the Ravens when he received a pass into the box by Rodrigo Parafita (A Coruna, Spain), and Addar buried the ball past the diving Knights sophomore goalkeeper Jake Balme. Franklin Pierce was undefeated when scoring first last season.

In the second half, the Knights had opportunities to get the equalizer, but Franklin Pierce's back line stood tall. In the 86th minute, Jeronimo Ferrando Ferri (Valencia, Spain) scored an unassisted goal to give the Ravens a 2-0 lead. Ferri's shot landed in the top left corner of the net, and Balme had no chance to make the save. In the 89th minute, Addar scored his second goal of the match and 15th career goal with the Ravens to make it 3-0 on a pass by junior midfielder Caleb Williams (Attleboro, Massachusetts).

Franklin Pierce outshot Queens College 14-1. Sophomore goalkeeper Diego Montoya Casillas (Cuernavaca, Mexico) started in his first career match as a member of the Ravens and picked up the clean sheet. Balme made four saves for the Knights in the loss.

Franklin Pierce hits the road Wednesday, September 6 for a non-conference matchup against the University of Bridgeport at 6 p.m.