Highlights

RINDGE, N.H. (October 28, 2017) – The Franklin Pierce University women's soccer team controlled the first half statistically on Saturday afternoon, but saw itself trailing 2-1 at halftime anyway. The Ravens then proved relentless in the second half, compiling a 13-0 margin in shot attempts and putting home three goals to rally for a 4-2 win over Southern Connecticut State in the Northeast-10 Conference regular-season finale at Sodexo Field. Sophomore midfielder Veronica Marques (Sao Paulo, Brazil) had a goal and two assists in the win for Franklin Pierce, while freshman forward Meaghan Kelley scored twice in defeat for SCSU. The Ravens celebrated their six-player senior class prior to the game.

With the win, Franklin Pierce improves to 10-3-2 (9-3-2 NE10), while SCSU concludes its season at 3-10-2 (2-10-1 NE10). The Ravens will host the first round of the NE10 Championship on Tuesday, Oct. 31, with a 4 p.m. kickoff at Sodexo Field. Franklin Pierce will be the fourth seed, and will host the fifth seed, which will be either Pace or Assumption, pending results later on Saturday.

At home on Saturday, the Ravens rang up advantages of 23-4 in shot attempts, 13-2 in shots on goal and 9-0 in corner kicks. Still, it was SCSU which struck for the first two goals of the contest. In the 11^th minute, senior forward Victoria Buonanni sent a long ball ahead from the midfield and down the left side. Kelley won the footrace to the ball and tracked it down near the edge of the penalty area. She put her shot low and inside the far post to tally her first collegiate goal.

Her first goal was followed by her second, not even 15 minutes later, right at the 25-minute mark. Kelley won a battle for the ball at the top of the penalty area on the left side, near where she had scored her first goal from. This time, she went to the near side with her shot and put it past Franklin Pierce senior goalkeeper Casey Cook (Beverly, Mass.) to push the lead out to 2-0.

The Ravens, who had yet to break through against SCSU senior goalkeeper Gabrielle Arruda, caught a break late in the period, when senior back Gabriella Braga (Porto Alegre, Brazil) was fouled just inside the penalty area on the right-wing side. The foul came with just 62 seconds remaining in the first half, and Braga put the ensuing penalty kick into the lower-left corner of the net for her first goal as a Raven, to cut the gap to 2-1 heading into the intermission.

On the other side of halftime, it was all Ravens, as the crimson and grey did not surrender a shot attempt to SCSU in the second half. Franklin Pierce struck to level the game at 2-2 in the 53^rd minute, as sophomore forward Sophie Cousineau (Milton, Mass.) took the ball in the middle of the field and laid it off on the left side for Marques. Marques had space to turn and fire from 25 yards out and tucked her shot low inside the right post for her fourth goal of the campaign.

Just over seven minutes later, in the 59^th minute, the Ravens took the lead for good. Marques picked up the assist this time, as she played a lead pass to junior midfielder Bruna Tavares (Belo Horizonte, Brazil), who collected the ball with speed down the left side as she approached the edge of the box. From the top of the penalty area, Tavares ripped a high shot, which clanged against the bottom of the crossbar and deflected into the net behind Arruda. It was Tavares' first goal in a Franklin Pierce uniform.

Senior midfielder Nalina Valaydon (Longueuil, Quebec) provided the Senior Day exclamation mark in the 86^th minute, with her third goal of the season. Again Marques provided the assist, this time by striking a low cross from the right side of the 18-yard box. Valaydon connected on a sliding, one-time finish to put the ball into the middle of the net and create the 4-2 final.

Cook (10-3-2) did not make a save against the two shots on her goal, but picked up the win in net for Franklin Pierce regardless. Arruda (2-12-3) finished with nine saves against 13 shots on goal and suffered the loss in net 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 soccer apparel can do so at the Department of Athletics' online store (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu/store).