Talita Pereira scores in second half

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (November 4, 2014) – Junior midfielder Kaycee Pereira (Ludlow, Mass.) put away the game-winning goal in the 104th minute on Tuesday afternoon to lift the fifth-seeded Franklin Pierce University women's soccer team to a 2-1, double-overtime win over fourth-seeded Southern Connecticut State in the quarterfinal round of the Northeast-10 Championship at Jess Dow Field. Freshman forward Victoria Buonanni tallied the lone goal in defeat for SCSU.

With the win, Franklin Pierce improves to 11-5-1, while SCSU falls to 10-6-1. Franklin Pierce advances to Friday's semifinal round of the Northeast-10 Championship, where it will meet the winner of Tuesday night's game between top-seeded Assumption and eighth-seeded Stonehill. If the former wins, the Ravens will travel to Assumption; if the latter pulls off the upset, Stonehill will travel to Franklin Pierce.

With the game tied, one overtime already in the books and a penalty-kick shootout less than seven minutes away, Pereira found the game-winner in the 104th minute to send the Ravens home with a victory. Pereira wound up with the ball and space to shoot in the middle of the field, about 25 yards from goal. She let the shot fly and put it into the upper reaches of the net, over the reach of the leaping keeper, for her sixth goal of the season.

Earlier in the day, the teams traded goals in the second half to send the game into overtime tied at 1-1. Senior forward Talita Pereira (Sao Paulo, Brazil) opened the scoring for Franklin Pierce in the 57th minute. The Ravens were awarded a free kick 25 yards out and Pereira put the shot on-target directly off the free kick. She found the top corner of the net with the strike for her seventh goal of the campaign.

Franklin Pierce would hold the lead until the 84th minute, when SCSU struck for the equalizer with just 6:14 to play. Buonanni found space to uncork a shot and picked the top-right corner from outside the penalty area for her fourth goal of the year.

When all was said and done, Franklin Pierce held advantages of 20-10 in shot attempts and 9-4 in shots on goal en route to the win. For the Ravens, it was the first postseason victory since 2010, as the team was eliminated in the quarterfinal round of the Northeast-10 Championship and missed the postseason in 2011.

Freshman goalkeeper Casey Cook (Beverly, Mass.) finished with three saves to pick up the win (9-5-1) between the pipes for Franklin Pierce. Sophomore goalkeeper Erica Ridella piled up seven saves and suffered the loss (10-6-1) in goal for SCSU.

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).