Cook earns sixth shutout in 10 games

RINDGE, N.H. (October 11, 2014) -- Sophomore midfielder Madison Finlay (Plymouth, Mass.) finished off a rebound for the game's only goal in the 68th minute on Saturday afternoon, as the Franklin Pierce University women's soccer team notched a 1-0 win over New Haven in Northeast-10 Conference play at Sodexo Field. Freshman goalkeeper Casey Cook (Beverly, Mass.) made one save to earn her sixth shutout of the campaign.

With the win, Franklin Pierce improves to 7-3-1 (5-3-1 Northeast-10), while New Haven falls to 4-7-1 (3-5-1 Northeast-10). Franklin Pierce has now won four in a row, posted three consecutive shutouts and has not allowed a goal in the last 313:21.

Franklin Pierce controlled the run of play over the course of Saturday's 90 minutes, as the Ravens piled up advantages of 23-4 in shot attempts, 9-1 in shots on goal and 8-0 in corner kicks. The crimson and grey kept New Haven junior goalkeeper Natasha Purchla busy all afternoon, as she finished with eight saves but suffered the loss (2-4-1) in net for the Chargers anyway. Cook stopped the only shot on her net to pick up the win (6-3-1) between the pipes for Franklin Pierce. All six of Cook's victories have come via shutout.

Advantages aside, Franklin Pierce could not solve Purchla over the game's first hour, and the only goal of the day came in the 68th minute. Junior forward Hannah Weagle (Ipswich, Mass.) had the initial go at net on the play, but her shot was knocked down by the defense before it got there. The rebound ricocheted straight to Finlay, who was approximately 10 yards in front of the right post. Finlay stepped into her shot, which beat Purchla, drilled the inside of the left post and wound up crossing the line for Finlay's second goal of the campaign.

The Franklin Pierce defense clamped down even tighter after the Finlay score, as the backline did not surrender a shot attempt to New Haven over the remainder of the game.

The Ravens return to the field on Wednesday, Oct. 15, when they travel to Saint Anselm for a Northeast-10 Conference contest. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. at Grappone Stadium in Manchester, N.H. Franklin Pierce next plays at home on Saturday, Oct. 18 against Le Moyne at 1 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). 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).