Ravens claim fifth season in Northeast-10 Championship

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (November 1, 2014) – Freshman forward Nalina Valaydon (Longueuil, Quebec) scored in the 12th and 51st minutes on Saturday afternoon, to lead the way for the Franklin Pierce University women's soccer team in a 3-1 victory on the road against American International in Northeast-10 Conference play at Abdow Field. Junior back Ophelie Brevet scored the lone goal for AIC in defeat.

With the win, Franklin Pierce improves to 10-5-1 (8-5-1 Northeast-10), while AIC falls to 4-11-1 (4-9-1 Northeast-10). Combined with Saturday's other results, Franklin Pierce will finish fifth in the Northeast-10 and will travel to fourth-seeded Southern Connecticut State for the quarterfinal round of the Northeast-10 Championship on Tuesday, Nov. 4. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. at Jess Dow Field in New Haven, Conn., as the front end of a doubleheader, as the Ravens and Owls square off in men's soccer as well, at 4 p.m.

Franklin Pierce opened the scoring on Saturday, in the 12th minute. Valaydon notched her fourth of the season, off an assist from sophomore midfielder Madison Finlay (Plymouth, Mass.). Valaydon, who did not play in five games from Sept. 20 through Oct. 4, now has four goals in seven games since returning to the lineup.

The Yellow Jackets drew even at 1-1 in the 24th minute. Senior midfielder Ronja Haag sent a ball up the middle of the field and found Brevet, who finished her second goal of the campaign into the lower-right corner of the net.

The Ravens would reclaim the lead before halftime, as Finlay got on the board with her fifth goal of the season. Junior midfielder Fernanda Marques (Sao Paulo, Brazil) took the original shot on the play, but it rang off the crossbar. Finlay was able to track down the rebound on the right side and head it inside the left post to give Franklin Pierce a 2-1 lead heading into the intermission.

Valaydon provided the only goal of the second half just 5:17 into the stanza to cap the scoring and create the 3-1 final. This time junior midfielder Kaycee Pereira (Ludlow, Mass.) sent a long cross from the left-wing corner, and Valaydon finished it off at the right post for her fifth goal of the campaign. For Valaydon, it marked her first career multiple-goal game.

Freshman goalkeeper Casey Cook (Beverly, Mass.) made three saves to pick up the win (8-5-1) in front of the net for Franklin Pierce. Senior goalkeeper Samantha Tabak made three saves against five shots on goal in the first half and took the loss (3-10-1) between the pipes for AIC. Fellow senior Samantha Webber played the second half for the Yellow Jackets and made one save against two shots on goal.

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).