PREVIEW: Women’s Soccer Set to Host Merrimack in NE10 Championship Semifinal
RINDGE, N.H. (November 2, 2017) – For the 13th time in program history, the Franklin Pierce University women's soccer team will appear in the semifinal round of the Northeast-10 Conference Championship on Friday afternoon. The fourth-seeded Ravens will play host to the eighth-seeded Warriors of Merrimack College at 4 p.m. at Sodexo Field. It will mark the first home game this deep in the postseason for Franklin Pierce since 2009.
The winner of Friday afternoon's contest advances to play for the NE10 title on Sunday.
Northeast-10 Women's Soccer Championship
(Seeds in parentheses)
Tuesday, October 31 -- Quarterfinals
Game 1: (8) Merrimack def. (1) Adelphi, 2-1
Game 2: (2) Southern New Hampshire def. (7) Bentley, 2-0
Game 3: (6) Assumption def. (3) Saint Rose, 3-0
Game 4: (4) Franklin Pierce def. (5) Pace, 1-0
Friday, November 3 -- Semifinals
Game 5: Merrimack at Franklin Pierce -- 4 p.m.
Game 6: Assumption at Southern New Hampshire -- 4 p.m.
Sunday, November 5 -- Final
*Game 7: Game 5 Winner vs. Game 6 Winner -- 1 p.m.
* - Game 7 to be hosted by highest remaining seed.
Scouting the Ravens
Franklin Pierce (11-3-2) opened the postseason with quiet dominance at home on Tuesday afternoon. The Ravens piled up a 16-5 advantage in shot attempts and made a 37th-minute goal from sophomore midfielder Veronica Marques (Sao Paul, Brazil) stand up for a 1-0 win over fifth-seeded Pace (game story). The Setters were held to just two shots on goal by the Franklin Pierce defense and mounted little in the way of a credible offensive threat on the afternoon.
The Ravens have excelled at goal prevention on the year, with a defense which ranks third in the NE10 in goals-against average (0.72), as they have surrendered just 12 goals in 16 games. The back line has helped usher the crimson and grey to eight shutouts, including six 1-0 victories, on the season. Franklin Pierce also sits in the top third in the league in offense, averaging 1.56 goals per game. Junior midfielder Nathalia Maria da Silva (Sao Paulo, Brazil) leads the charge with six goals on the year, while sophomore midfielder Gabi Pereira (Belo Horizonte, Brazil) and Marques have contributed 12 points each as well, on five goals and two assists apiece.
Senior goalkeeper Casey Cook (Beverly, Mass.) has played every minute of the season in net for the Ravens. She ranks third in the NE10 in goals-against average (0.72) and has posted an .806 save percentage on the campaign.
Scouting the Warriors
On the other side of the field, Merrimack (10-8-0) opened the postseason loudly on Tuesday afternoon, with a 2-1 upset of top seed and No. 6 nationally ranked Adelphi on the road (game story). The game-winning goal was actually an own goal by the Panthers, while Merrimack also got an eighth-minute tally from senior forward Sarah Boucher. Merrimack sophomore goalkeeper Erin Fulton piled up a season-best 13 saves in the victory.
The Warriors have hit their stride at the right time, with three straight wins and victories in six of their last seven games heading into Friday's semifinal. Friday will mark Merrimack's 25th appearance in the semifinal round, which is an NE10 record.
Merrimack sits squarely in the middle of the 15-team NE10 both offensively and defensively, as the blue and gold sit eighth in the Conference in both goals for (1.39 per game) and goals against (1.30 per game). Boucher leads the team's offensive effort with 13 points in 18 games, on three goals and a team-best seven assists. Junior midfielder Gig Guenther has notched 12 points on a team-high six goals.
The Warriors have split their goalkeeping duties three ways, with Fulton leading the way by logging approximately 50% of the team's minutes. She has made 58 saves against 65 shots to post a 0.76 goals-against average and an .892 save percentage with three shutouts. She leads the NE10 in save percentage and ranks fourth in goals-against average.
Earlier this Season
The two teams met for their regular-season contest on Oct. 7 at Sodexo Field, with the Ravens pulling out a 1-0 victory at home (game story). Franklin Pierce posted a 17-8 edge in shot attempts in the game, which included an 11-1 margin in shots on goal. The game's only goal came courtesy of a free kick curled into the left side of the net by Pereira in the 36th minute.
Previously in the Postseason
The Ravens and the Warriors have previously met 12 times in the postseason, including seven times in the NE10 Championship. Franklin Pierce holds an 11-1-0 record in those meetings, including 6-1-0 in NE10 Championship play.
The most recent postseason meeting between the two came in 2012, at Merrimack's Martone-Mejail Field, in the quarterfinal round of the NE10 Championship. Regulation went scoreless, but Katie Bresciani struck for Merrimack 7:51 into overtime to lift the Warriors to a 1-0 win (game story).
The last time the two met in the semifinal round of the NE10 Championship was in 2010, also at Merrimack, where the Ravens posted a 4-2 win (game story). Kelly Weygand put away a pair of goals, while Shona Franklin and Amanda Panaro found the net as well.
Merrimack has not traveled to Rindge for a postseason contest since the NCAA New England Region semifinal in 2005. Franklin Pierce fired home four goals in a span of 3:16 in the final 20 minutes of the game to break a 1-1 tie and go on to a 4-1 victory (game story). The 2005 Ravens would ultimately advance to the national semifinal.
In the early 2000s, the Ravens and Warriors met in the NE10 title game on three straight occasions, from 2001 through 2003. Franklin Pierce took each of the three contests, beginning their run of a league-record seven straight titles from 2000 through 2006.
Headed to the Game?
If you plan on making the trip to Rindge on Tuesday afternoon, directions to Franklin Pierce and maps of the Rindge campus can be found here: http://www.franklinpierce.edu/directions.htm
Ticket prices are set as follows:
Adults - $6
Children/Seniors - $4
Students (with valid ID from NE10 institutions) - $1
Franklin Pierce students (with valid ID) will be admitted free of charge, courtesy of the Department of Athletics.
Per Conference policy, no additional complimentary admissions will be issued.
How to Follow Along
If you prefer to follow the action from home, from work or from elsewhere, both live video and live stats will be available:
Live stats // Video (pay-per-view)
Up Next
The winner of Friday's semifinal will advance to play for the NE10 title and an automatic berth to the NCAA Championship on Sunday afternoon. Friday's other semifinal is also scheduled for 4 p.m., and will feature second-seeded Southern New Hampshire hosting sixth-seeded Assumption at Larkin Field in Manchester, N.H.
Sunday's championship tilt is scheduled for 1 p.m., and will be hosted by the highest remaining seed. If SNHU defeats Assumption, the Penmen will host, regardless of opponent. A SNHU loss, plus a Franklin Pierce win, would put the title game at Sodexo Field. Meanwhile, two upsets on Friday would see Assumption play host to Merrimack on Sunday.
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).