Ravens on verge of second straight postseason berth

COLCHESTER, Vt. (October 15, 2011) – Senior midfielder Kim Jaksina (Townsend, Mass.) scored on a backhander from the top of the circle with 32 seconds to play in regulation on Saturday afternoon to break a 1-1 tie and lift the Franklin Pierce University field hockey team to a 2-1 win over Saint Michael's in Northeast-10 Conference play at Duffy Field. Jaksina also assisted on the earlier goal, by senior forward Lauren L'Heureux (Sanford, Maine), which tied the game at 1-1 with 27:06 to play.

With the win, Franklin Pierce improves to 8-8 (5-3 Northeast-10), while Saint Michael's falls to 4-12 (3-5 Northeast-10). With two games to play, the Ravens sit third in the Northeast-10, a half-game in front of both American International and Bentley, and can finish anywhere from third to tied for sixth. The top six teams qualify for the Northeast-10 Championship. A victory in either of its last two games would clinch a postseason berth for Franklin Pierce, while two wins, or one win and a loss by either Bentley or AIC, would give the Ravens a home game in the quarterfinal round.

The Franklin Pierce defense was stifling on the afternoon, holding Saint Michael's to just seven shot attempts, only two of which became shots on goal. Yet, it was only the second-fewest shots on goal by an opponent this season, as Franklin Pierce held Assumption to just one shot on target in a 4-0 win on Sept. 8.

The Ravens were dominant in the first half to the tune of a 13-3 advantage in shots, though Saint Michael's came away with the only goal of the stanza. With just under 10 minutes to play before halftime, junior forward Kelly MacDonald slipped behind the Raven backline and was left unattended in the circle. Senior midfielder Taylor Wahrenbrock found her with a cross from the left side and MacDonald deflected the ball past the goalkeeper and into the cage for her second goal of the season and a 1-0 Purple Knights lead.

After an extended halftime break thanks to a lightning delay of about a half-hour, Franklin Pierce did not waste much time drawing even in the second half. Just 7:54 into the period, Jaksina struck the ball towards the cage from outside the top of the circle. L'Heureux got her stick to the ball while it was en route and picked up her fourth goal of the season as she redirected it around Saint Michael's senior goalkeeper Jackie Stacey and into the net.

From there, the game would remained knotted at 1-1 until the final minute of regulation, when Saint Michael's was whistled for a foul outside the circle on the offensive right as Jaksina attempted to bring the ball into the circle. Jaksina kept the ball on the restart, made her way towards the middle of the field and into the top of the circle, flipped her stick and sent a backhand shot along the ground toward the cage. The shot made its way through goalmouth traffic without being touched, eluded the feet of Stacey and slipped into the cage to give the Ravens a 2-1 lead, and effectively win the game with just 32 seconds to play. It was Jaksina's third goal of the season.

Senior goalkeeper Brittany Nyzio (Attleboro, Mass.) stopped one of the two shots on her cage to pick up the win (7-6) in front of the net for Franklin Pierce. It was the 23rd victory of her career, extending her own program record. Stacey made 10 saves against 12 shots sent her way, but suffered the loss (4-10) between the pipes for Saint Michael's.

Both Jaksina and junior back Alyssa Juszczyk (Warren, Mass.) recorded defensive saves in the contest for Franklin Pierce. For Jaksina, it was her eighth of the season and the 14th of her career, extending program records in both respects.

The Ravens return to the field on Thursday, Oct. 20, when they return home to host Stonehill in a Northeast-10 Conference contest. Game time is set for 6 p.m. at Sodexo Field in Rindge.

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).