RINDGE, N.H. (August 30, 2018) – The Franklin Pierce University women's soccer team opened the season in style on Thursday night, as senior midfielder Nathalia Maria da Silva (Sao Paulo, Brazil) scored twice to lead the way at Sodexo Field. The Ravens also got an early marker from junior forward Veronica Marques (Sao Paulo, Brazil) and dominated the shot tally throughout to roll to a 3-0 win over Parkside in the non-conference season opener for both squads.

The Ravens open the season at 1-0-0, while Parkside falls to 0-1-0.

Franklin Pierce opened the scoring inside the first 10 minutes of the season on a rush into the offensive end of the field. From the left-wing side, as she approached the top of the penalty area, senior forward Bruna Tavares (Belo Horizonte, Brazil) fed a ball to the top of the box for Marques. The pass left Marques with only the goalkeeper to beat, and beat Parkside junior Lara Ferrari she did, to get the Ravens on the board in the ninth minute.

Franklin Pierce would ultimately run up a 10-0 advantage in shot attempts in the first half, and doubled the lead to 2-0 before the stanza concluded. In the 39^th minute, the ball came to da Silva in the middle of the field, with space to work, 30 yards from goal. The midfielder stepped into her shot and unloaded, blasting the ball over the outstretched fingers of Ferrari and into the upper reaches of the net for her first goal of the season.

Franklin Pierce would also control the second half statistically, despite mixing some of their substitutes into the game. The Ravens held an 8-4 edge in shot attempts in the second half, to run the overall advantage to 18-4, which included an 8-1 advantage in shots on goal. Parkside's only shot on goal of the night was a low-percentage chance from outside the penalty area on the left side, late in the second half, by freshman forward Myah Strokosch.

The Ravens created the 3-0 final with another strike from da Silva in the final minute of play. This one came off a free kick approximately 25 yards directly in front of the goal, and da Silva curled her shot inside the left post to cap the scoring. It was the fourth multiple-goal game of her career, and the first since the final game of her freshman campaign in 2015.

Freshman goalkeeper Casey Kane (Millis, Mass.) made one save in the Franklin Pierce net to pick up the win (1-0-0) and the shutout in her collegiate debut. Ferrari (0-1-0) stopped five of the eight shots on her goal and suffered the loss for Parkside.

The Ravens return to the field on Sunday, Sept. 2, when they remain home to host Concordia (N.Y.) in a non-conference contest. Game time is set for 4 p.m. at Sodexo Field.

For more information on Franklin Pierce Athletics, please visit the official website of Franklin Pierce Athletics (https://www.fpuraves.com). 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 (https://www.fpuravens.com/store).