Recap by Director of Athletic Communications Luke Tracy 

RINDGE, N.H. (12/2/2023) – For the second consecutive year, the Franklin Pierce men's soccer program will return to the NCAA Division II Final Four after the Ravens took down the Gannon University Golden Knights in a 1-0 final on Saturday night.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Saturday's game went by many names: The Elite 8, quarterfinals, regional championship, but no matter the name, the game was decided by a single goal.
• After a scoreless first half, Aaron Sanchez brought Raven fans in Rindge to their feet after he hit a header past the GU goalie off. Alvaro Rey Mira and Lucio Yahia were each credited with the first and second assist.
• Following goal from Sanchez, the Raven defense was able to secure the clean sheet which gave Karl Vernet the shutout in net.

BREAKING DOWN THE NUMBERS:

• Franklin Pierce outshot Gannon by a landslide 16 to 6. Of the six shots fired by the Golden Knights, only two of them were on net and both came in the second half.
• The game was a chippy one between the two teams and included a combined 32 fouls with each team tally 16 each.
• The referee was busy delivering yellow cards as well as each team tallied four.

NEXT FOR THE RAVENS: The Franklin Pierce men's soccer program will trade in the coach bus for an airplane this week as the team flies to Matthews, North Carolina for the semi-final game on Thursday, December 7^th.