Marques collects pair of assists

RINDGE, N.H. (September 6, 2014) – Senior forward Talita Pereira (Sao Paulo, Brazil) opened the scoring just 50 seconds in on Saturday afternoon, while sophomore midfielder Makayla Medeiros (Attleboro, Mass.) added a goal and an assist as the Franklin Pierce University women's soccer team rolled to a 4-0 victory over Caldwell in non-conference play at Sodexo Field. The game was called with 17:22 to play in the second half as a thunderstorm began to drench the area.

With the win, Franklin Pierce improves to 2-0-0 (0-0-0 Northeast-10), while Caldwell falls to 0-2-0 (0-0-0 Central Atlantic).

The Ravens wasted no time getting on the board on Saturday afternoon, as Pereira started the squad on the way to its second straight shutout win. With possession in the midfield, junior midfielder Fernanda Marques (Sao Paulo, Brazil) slipped a through ball which split the middle of the Caldwell defense to spring Pereira in all alone against senior goalkeeper Robin Franchi. Pereira slotted the ball into the left side of the net to open the scoring.

Franklin Pierce doubled the lead to 2-0 in the 13th minute on the first collegiate goal for freshman forward Nalina Valaydon (Longueuil, Quebec). Junior midfielder Kaycee Pereira (Ludlow, Mass.) provided the setup, as she used her speed to chase down the ball on the left-wing side. After she had control, she sent a low cross into the six-yard box, where Valaydon one-touched it into the empty net.

The Ravens took the 2-0 lead into halftime and added a pair of insurance markers before the remainder of the game was called in the 73rd minute (70 minutes are required for an official game in NCAA play). In the 58th minute, sophomore midfielder Madison Finlay (Plymouth, Mass.) laid the ball off to Medeiros to start a give-and-go inside the penalty area. Medeiros sent it back to Finlay, who put away her first goal of the season to cap a four-point weekend (1-2-4). In the 69th minute, Marques ripped a shot from the top of the penalty area which was punched aside by Franchi. The rebound came just outside the six-yard box on the left-wing side, where Medeiros was waiting to put away the rebound for her first career goal.

Franklin Pierce was dominant for the second straight game to start the season, piling up a 15-6 advantage in shot attempts. Freshman goalkeeper Casey Cook (Beverly, Mass.) finished with three saves to post the win (2-0-0) and her second straight shutout to begin her career. Franchi made a pair of saves and took the loss (0-2-0) in net for Caldwell.

The Ravens return to the field on Saturday, Sept. 13, when they remain home to host Assumption in their Northeast-10 Conference opener. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Sodexo Field.

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 apparel can do so at the Department of Athletics' online store (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu/store).