WALTHAM, Mass. (October 8, 2016) – Held off the board for the majority of the afternoon on Saturday, the Franklin Pierce University women's soccer team got a late goal from sophomore forward Nathalia Maria da Silva (Sao Paulo, Brazil) to create the 2-1 final in a loss at Bentley in Northeast-10 Conference play. Bentley got goals from sophomore forward Alyssa Valente and senior forward Anna Tantum on either side of halftime to build up a 2-0 lead it would not relinquish.

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

Bentley opened the scoring just prior to halftime, in the 45th minute on Saturday afternoon. With just 24 seconds to play in the opening stanza, Valente poked the ball home amid a scramble for the ball in front of the net to tally her sixth goal of the season and send the Falcons into the intermission with a lead.

Bentley would double the lead just over 10 minutes into the second half, in the 56th minute. Senior forward Jamie Grinavic played a through ball into the penalty area, which Tantum was able to get on the other end of. The latter beat the keeper from five yards out for her team-leading eighth goal of the season to provide insurance and make it a 2-0 game.

Franklin Pierce struck for its lone goal of the afternoon in the waning minutes, with just 99 seconds to play. Off a free kick from 25 yards out in the 89th minute, da Silva rang a shot off the near post which ricocheted across the goal line for her third goal of the season.

Franklin Pierce held an edge statistically throughout, though it would not show on the scoreboard. The Ravens put together advantages of 15-8 in shot attempts, 7-4 in shots on goal and 5-3 in corner kicks.

Junior goalkeeper Casey Cook (Beverly, Mass.) finished with just two saves against four shots on goal while taking the loss (4-4-2) in net for Franklin Pierce. Bentley junior netminder Deirdre Macrorie (6-3-2) made six saves against seven shots on goal at the other end of the field.

The Ravens return to the field on Wednesday, Oct. 12, when they travel to Saint Anselm for a Northeast-10 contest. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. at Melucci Field in Manchester, N.H.

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