Ravens can clinch postseason berth on Saturday

MANCHESTER, N.H. (November 2, 2010) – Sophomore midfielder Megan Bird (Laconia, N.H.) scored the first goal of her career, which proved to be the game-winner, on Tuesday afternoon to lead the Franklin Pierce University field hockey team to a 2-0 road win over Saint Anselm in Northeast-10 Conference play at South Athletic Field.

With the victory, Franklin Pierce improves to 7-9 (4-4 Northeast-10), while Saint Anselm falls to 2-12 (2-6 Northeast-10). The win moves Franklin Pierce into sixth place in the Northeast-10, the final qualifying spot for the conference championship. The team can clinch a postseason berth with a win against Saint Michael's on Saturday.

The first half featured back and forth play, with both teams generating shots and scoring chances. Ravens Head Coach Meighan Guiney took her timeout with 6:32 to play in the first half and the team responded, earning a penalty corner with just less than five minutes to play in the stanza. Amidst the play after the corner, Bird found the ball and put it in the cage to give Franklin Pierce a 1-0 lead heading into the halftime break.

From there, the game would go without another goal until the Ravens put the game on ice with 6:05 to play in regulation. Junior forward Tia Levins (Manchester, Maine) scored her team-leading 10th goal of the season off an assist from senior midfielder Kayla Simeone (North Kingstown, R.I.) to create the 2-0 final. Levins is only the third player to score at least 10 goals in a season in Franklin Pierce history and is one behind the program single-season record of 11, currently held by Mary Beth Huszar (2007) and Heidi Nichols (2000).

Junior goalkeeper Brittany Nyzio (Attleboro, Mass.) stopped all seven shots on her cage to pick up the win (6-8) and post her fifth shutout of the season, and sixth of her career. The fifth shutout in a single season ties the program record, originally set by Brandi Guertin in 2003.

Sophomore Lindsay MacDonald stopped eight of the 10 shots sent her direction and took the loss (1-3) between the pipes for Saint Anselm.

Both teams were active offensively, as Franklin Pierce finished with a slim, 14-13 edge in shots, including a 10-7 margin in shots on goal. Saint Anselm was awarded eight penalty corners to five for Franklin Pierce.

The Ravens return to the field on Saturday, Nov. 6, when they return home to host Saint Michael's in a Northeast-10 Conference contest. The game is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Sodexo Field in Rindge. Franklin Pierce will honor the accomplishments of its senior players prior to the start of the game.

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).