Weldon wins in 2014 debut

WALTHAM, Mass. (October 1, 2014) – Senior forward Talita Pereira (Sao Paulo, Brazil) finished off a cross in the 66th minute on Wednesday afternoon to break a 1-1 tie and help the Franklin Pierce University women's soccer team to a 2-1 road win over Bentley in Northeast-10 Conference play at Bentley Soccer Field. Sophomore forward Ana Tantum had the lone goal in defeat for Bentley.

With the win, Franklin Pierce improves to 4-3-1 (2-3-1 Northeast-10), while Bentley falls to 2-7-0 (0-6-0 Northeast-10).

The Ravens broke the ice early on Wednesday, as junior forward Hannah Weagle (Ipswich, Mass.) struck for her third goal of the season in just the third minute. The goal came in the aftermath of a corner kick, as Weagle corralled a loose ball five yards out and hammered it to the back of the net to open the scoring. Weagle, who scored 11 goals as a freshman in 2012, is already just one off her sophomore season goal total.

The Weagle goal would be the only scoring in the game's first 45 minutes. The Ravens controlled the run of play overall on Wednesday, as they amassed an 8-0 advantage in corner kicks, which led to margins of 18-10 in shot attempts and 8-5 in shots on goal.

Those advantages aside, Bentley was able to equalize just 99 seconds into the second half, in the 47th minute. Tantum notched her team-leading second goal of the season, as she chipped the ball over Franklin Pierce junior goalkeeper Katie Weldon (Manchester, N.H.) from 25 yards out on the left side. Tantum has now scored half of the season's goals for Bentley, which has been outscored 13-4 on the year. The goal broke a string of five straight shutouts against the Falcons and ended a goalless streak of 370:09.

Just under 20 minutes later, in the 66th minute, Franklin Pierce struck for the game's final goal. Junior midfielder Kaycee Pereira (Ludlow, Mass.) crossed the ball into the box from the right-wing side. Bentley freshman goalkeeper Deirdre Macrorie came off her line, but could not collect the cross, which left Talita Pereira to finish off her team-leading fourth goal of the season from five yards out.

Weldon finished with four saves to pick up the win (1-0-0) for Franklin Pierce in her season debut. At the other end, Macrorie stopped six shots and suffered the loss (2-7-0) between the pipes for Bentley.

The Ravens return to the field on Saturday, Oct. 4, when they return home to host Adelphi in a Northeast-10 Conference contest. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. at Sodexo Field in Rindge.

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