Rindge, N.H. (October 25, 2015) -- Southern New Hampshire University got a penalty kick in the 34th minute of the first half, and was later able to double their lead in the second half on Sunday afternoon. A late Ravens goal by graduate student forward Amber Dempster (Belfast, North Ireland) was not enough to bring the team all the way back, as the Franklin Pierce University women's soccer team fell 2-1 to SNHU in a Northeast-10 Conference match at Sodexo Field.

After the loss, the Ravens stand at 7-8-0 on the season and 4-8-0 in the NE-10, while the SNHU Penmen advance to 10-3-2 overall and 8-2-2 in the NE-10 on the season. The loss eliminated Franklin Pierce from postseason contention heading into the season's final week.

The first half quickly became physical, with both teams trying to make their way to the goal. A failed clear on a corner kick led to a Franklin Pierce handball in the penalty area, which resulted in a Penmen penalty kick in the 34th minute. With the kick, Ravens sophomore keeper Casey Cook (Beverly, Mass.) was able to choose the correct corner and was there for the save, but the ball slipped through her hands for the second goal of the season for SNHU senior back Bridget O'Sullivan.

As the second half got underway, the Penmen made an attempt to double their lead, with a crossed pass from junior back Ali Walter to sophomore forward Trisha Luis. The shot came from the top of the 18 and, as Cook came out to contest the shot, she mistimed the save and Luis was able to roll the ball into the back left corner for the 2-0 lead in the 59th minute.

With time running out for the Ravens, the intensity increased at both ends of the field. Ultimately, the Ravens were able to take possession of the ball after a Penmen yellow card, which would lead to the lone Franklin Pierce goal of the game.

In the 87th minute, Nathalia Maria da Silva (Sao Paulo, Brazil) fired a shot on net. Penmen keeper Paige Salmon blocked the shot, but deflected it to Dempster, who capitalized on the opportunity and tucked the ball into the back of the net. However, the Dempster goal would stand as the final shot of the day for the Ravens, who could not pull back even and fell, 2-1.

Cook made three saves on the day, and her record fell to 4-4-0. Salmon finished with six saves on the day, while her record improved to 5-1-2.

Ravens travel to Le Moyne on Oct. 28 for a 3 p.m. game, and then return home on Oct. 31, when they play host to Saint Michael's at 5 p.m. to close out the season.

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