Dolan factors in both goals with goal, assist

RINDGE, N.H. (October 1, 2011) – Senior goalkeeper Brittany Nyzio (Attleboro, Mass.) made three saves to establish a new program record with her eighth career shutout on Saturday afternoon, as the Franklin Pierce University field hockey team notched a 2-0 win over No. 10 nationally ranked Bentley in non-conference play at Sodexo Field. Senior forward Danielle Dolan (West Brookfield, Mass.) figured in on both goals in the win with a goal and an assist.

With the win, Franklin Pierce improves to 4-6 (1-1 Northeast-10), while Bentley falls to 4-5 (2-0 Northeast-10). The two teams will play their Northeast-10 Conference game on Oct. 12 at Bentley.

For Nyzio (3-4), the three-save clean sheet was her first shutout since Nov. 6, 2010, when the Ravens posted a 6-0 win over Saint Michael's at Sodexo Field. That shutout tied Nyzio with both Brandi Guertin (2002-05) and Kasey McClements (1999-2002), who each notched seven shutouts during their careers. Saturday's shutout was Nyzio's eighth in two-plus years since transferring to Franklin Pierce from La Salle prior to her sophomore season.

She now owns a pair of major program goaltending records, having eclipsed the high-water mark for career wins last season; her next victory will make her the first goalkeeper in school history to win 20 games in a career. Nyzio is on-target to complete the trifecta, as she entered the season as the school's all-time leader in goals-against average by over half a goal.

Through 35 minutes, the two teams solved precisely nothing, as each team earned a penalty corner and Franklin Pierce posted a 6-4 edge in shot attempts, but neither found the back of the cage in the opening half.

The game would open up after the intermission, and the Franklin Pierce attack found the back of the net just 3:12 into the second stanza to break the ice. Dolan took the ball into the circle on the right side and made her way near the endline. From there, she crossed the ball into the goalmouth, where senior forward Tia Levins (Manchester, Mass.) waited to bang it into the cage for her team-leading eighth goal of the season. It was the 25th goal of Levins' career, leaving her one shy of the program record held by Debbie Jones (2000-03).

The Ravens continued to generate pressure immediately after the goal and doubled the lead 10:05 later. On a broken play in the middle of the circle, sophomore forward Chanelle Letarte (Lunenburg, Mass.) sent the ball to the right side, though her pass wound up behind Dolan. All in one motion, Dolan stepped back to the ball turned and fired a shot which turned into her third goal of the season after it got behind Bentley junior goalkeeper Julia Powell.

Bentley called its timeout in response to the second goal and opened up the throttle in the immediate aftermath, generating many of its best chances of the afternoon in the 15 minutes that followed. In the end, Bentley was awarded nine penalty corners in the second half but could not find the cage to break up the shutout. Franklin Pierce posted a 14-6 advantage in shot attempts in the second half to finish with a 20-10 edge in the game, which included a 12-3 margin in shots on goal.

Also of note for the Ravens, early in the second half, senior midfielder Kim Jaksina (Townsend, Mass.) recorded her ninth career defensive save, extending her program record.

Powell stopped 10 of the 12 shots on her cage, but suffered the loss (4-5) between the pipes for Bentley.

The Ravens return to the field on Tuesday, Oct. 4, when they remain home to host Saint Anselm in a Northeast-10 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 (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).