Nash scores three goals

RINDGE, N.H. (March 29, 2012) – Senior midfielder Mary Kate Stille (North Quincy, Mass.) finished with a team-best four points on a goal and three assists on Thursday afternoon, but the Franklin Pierce University women's lacrosse team was defeated, 9-8, by Keene State in non-conference play at Sodexo Field. Junior midfielder Lauren Brown led Keene State with four goals.

With the loss, Franklin Pierce falls to 4-2 (2-0 Northeast-10), while Keene State improves to 4-2 (0-0 Little East).

Things started well for the Ravens, as the team converted twice in the first 6:28 to jump to a 2-0 lead on a free-position finish by Stille, who also assisted on the first goal, with 23:32 to play in the first half. However, from there, Keene State would score four of the last five goals in the opening period to take a 4-3 lead into halftime. It would be Brown who broke up the 3-3 tie by finding the net for her team-leading 15th goal of the season with just 21 seconds to play in the half.

Franklin Pierce initially tied the game 1:59 into the second half on a goal by freshman attacker Madeline Shopshire (Hyannis, Mass.), but then the Owls converted a pair of free-position chances just over three minutes apart to take a 6-4 lead they would never relinquish. The teams alternated goals the rest of the day, as the Ravens pulled within one goal on four occasions. Down the stretch, freshman attacker Geena Franciosi (South Easton, Mass.) finished off a feed from junior midfielder Courtney Weber (Centerport, N.Y.) to cut the gap to 9-8 with 5:58 to play. However, Keene State was able to control the ball for much of the final six minutes and put the game away.

After Stille for Franklin Pierce, senior attacker Brianna Nash (Oceanside, N.Y.) scored three goals, while both Weber (1-1-2) and junior attacker Melissa Richtel (Castle Rock, Colo.) (0-2-2) finished with two points each to round out the multiple-point scorers for the Ravens. Defensively, Weber and senior defender Kim Jaksina (Townsend, Mass.) led all players with five ground balls and four turnovers each.

For Keene State, sophomore midfielder Eliza Witherbee (3-1-4) joined Brown with four points to pace the Owls' offense. Junior midfielders Nicole Curry (1-1-2) and Lindsay McManus (1-1-2) also recorded multiple points. Defensively for the Owls, sophomore midfielder Ashley Borjeson led the team with four ground balls, while Witherbee and senior defender Sarah Valacer forced two turnovers each.

Senior goalkeeper Jillian Bolduc (Atkinson, N.H.) made eight saves against 17 shots on her goal and took the loss (4-1) in net for Franklin Pierce. Sophomore Erin Taylor turned aside 13 of 21 on-target shots at her end to earn the win (4-2) for Keene State.

Franklin Pierce held a 30-23 advantage in shot attempts and a 22-20 edge in ground balls in the game, while Keene State held the upper hand in draw controls, 11-8. Franklin Pierce was successful on 16 of its 23 clear attempts (69.6%) and went 2-for-12 on free-position shots (16.7%). Keene State went 17-for-22 on clear attempts (77.3%) and 4-for-8 on free-position opportunities (50%).

The Ravens returns to the field on Saturday, March 31, when they travel to Adelphi for a Northeast-10 Conference contest. Game time is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Motamed Field in Garden City, N.Y. Franklin Pierce next plays at home on Monday, April 2 against Southern Connecticut State at 4 p.m.

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).