No. 11 Women’s Soccer Plays to 0-0 (2 OT) Draw at Saint Michael’s

COLCHESTER, Vt. (October 24, 2018) – The No. 11 nationally ranked Franklin Pierce University women's soccer team dominated the run of play statistically on Wednesday afternoon at Saint Michael's. The Ravens piled up advantages of 30-10 in shot attempts and 13-0 in shots on goal in the Northeast-10 Conference contest at Doc Jacobs Field. In the end though, Saint Michael's sophomore goalkeeper Liz Vallatini stopped all 13 shots on her net and the Purple Knights forced Franklin Pierce to settle for a 0-0 tie after 110 minutes of scoreless soccer.

With the draw, Franklin Pierce now stands at 11-1-2 (10-1-2 NE10), while Saint Michael's moves to 1-11-3 (0-10-3 NE10). Earlier on Wednesday, the NCAA announced Franklin Pierce currently occupies the top spot in the East Region rankings, which will ultimately determine the field for the NCAA Championship.

With the tie, Franklin Pierce will have to wait until Saturday's regular-season finale for another chance to wrap up the NE10 regular-season title. The Ravens will play at Southern Connecticut State at 2 p.m. Saturday, and will claim the regular-season crown with a win. Franklin Pierce would also lock up first place in the league with a tie or a loss by second-place Southern New Hampshire on Saturday. SNHU visits Saint Rose at 2 p.m. Saturday.

The Ravens generated plenty of chances on Wednesday at Saint Michael's. The 30 shot attempts were one off the team's season high, while the 13 shots on goal trailed only a trio of games where Franklin Pierce put 14 shots on target. The Ravens also put a pair of shots off the goal frame itself in the second half, as senior midfielder Nathalia Maria da Silva (Sao Paulo, Brazil) hit the post in the 50^th minute, and senior forward Bruna Tavares (Belo Horizonte, Brazil) put a shot off the crossbar in the 84^th minute. Franklin Pierce also earned 12 corner kicks in the game, while Saint Michael's went without a corner.

Franklin Pierce turned up the heat even more in overtime. Across the two, 10-minute overtime sessions, the Ravens attempted eight shots, including four shots on goal, while holding Saint Michael's to just one off-target shot.

In the end, both goalkeepers posted shutouts on the afternoon. For Franklin Pierce, freshman Casey Kane (Millis, Mass.) did not face a shot on goal while chalking up her seventh shutout of the season and being credited with a tie (8-1-2). Meanwhile, Vallatini (1-8-2) stole the show at the other end of the field, as she stopped all 13 shots she faced to notch her first collegiate shutout.

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