RINDGE, N.H. (September 19, 2017) – On a misty Tuesday night, under the lights at Sodexo Field, the Franklin Pierce University women's soccer team set its sights on No 19 nationally ranked and intrastate foe Southern New Hampshire, but it would be the crossbar which would prove to be the team's biggest enemy on the night. First with the game tied, and later chasing a one-goal deficit in the game's final half-hour, sophomore midfielder Gabi Pereira (Belo Horizonte, Brazil) twice put her shot beyond the reach of the goalkeeper, but twice saw it come away off the bar. In the end, SNHU would escape Rindge with a 2-1 win in the Northeast-10 Conference contest.

With the loss, Franklin Pierce falls to 3-1-1 (2-1-1 NE10), while SNHU improves to 6-1-0 (4-0-0 NE10).

SNHU picked up the first strong scoring chance of the match in the 20^th minute. Senior midfielder Courtney Benson got her head to a service from the right side and put a dangerous shot towards the goal. However, Franklin Pierce senior goalkeeper Casey Cook (Beverly, Mass.) was equal to the task and was able to sprawl out to make the save and keep the game scoreless.

Shortly after the big save, Franklin Pierce struck first in front of a large and loud crowd, as the Ravens opened the scoring in the 23^rd minute. Pereira took a free kick from approximately 25 yards out, to the left of the penalty area, and found the head of junior back Marta Turmo (Barcelona, Spain) 15 yards in front of the right post. Turmo headed her shot back against traffic, and into the upper-left corner of the goal for her first goal as a Raven.

The Penmen had a chance to equalize before the half, in the 37^th minute, on another opportunity for Benson. Off a scramble in the box, she was left with the ball on her foot and an all-but vacated net, but put the shot wide on the left side, and Franklin Pierce held the lead heading into the break.

The lead would not survive long into the second half, as SNHU found the tying goal just 70 seconds after the intermission. Amid a bit of a scramble in the penalty area, the feed came from senior forward Trisha Luis on the left side, to junior midfielder Ariana Silvia, who was about 16 yards in front of the goal in the middle of the field. Silvia would not miss from there, as she tucked her shot inside the right post for her second goal of the season.

Franklin Pierce nearly reclaimed the lead in the 64^th minute. With the ball on the left side, Pereira lofted a high, soft shot from a tough angle, toward the middle of the goal. The shot was up and over the reach of SNHU senior goalkeeper Paige Salmon, but clanged off the crossbar and bounced away harmlessly on the right-wing side.

SNHU would eventually strike for the game-winning goal in the 78^th minute. Junior midfielder Miranda Peloquin provided the setup with a long through-ball from the midfield, just to the left-wing side of the center of the field. Sophomore midfielder Emily Roan was able to get on the other end of the pass and then thumped a shot inside the right post for her first goal of the season to give the Penmen a 2-1 lead.

Franklin Pierce's best chance to equalize came just minutes later, in the 80^th minute. On a free kick from the center of the field, approximately 25 yards out, Pereira again beat Salmon over the top, but once again, the ball hit off the crossbar. This time, the ball banged the top half of the bar and continued on out of play, which allowed SNHU to easily clear the threat on the ensuing goal kick.

Cook (3-1-1) finished with three saves against five shots on goal and suffered the loss in goal for Franklin Pierce. Salmon (6-1-0) made one save, and her back line added another, as the Penmen faced three shots on goal in the victory.

The Ravens return to the field on Saturday, Sept. 23, when they remain home to host Saint Anselm in an NE10 contest. Opening kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Sodexo Field.

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).