Trainor notches first career point

EASTON, Mass. (September 24, 2012) – A deflection goal by junior forward Chanelle Letarte (Lunenburg, Mass.) in the second half on Monday afternoon ended a scoreless stretch of 486:05, but three first half goals were the difference, as the Franklin Pierce University field hockey team was defeated, 4-1, on the road by Stonehill in Northeast-10 Conference play at W.B. Mason Stadium. Senior forward Chelsea Fizell scored twice and added an assist in the victory for Stonehill.

With the loss, Franklin Pierce falls to 2-7 (0-2 Northeast-10), while Stonehill improves to 5-5 (1-2 Northeast-10).

Late in the second half, the Ravens finally found the back of the cage to end a scoring drought that stretched over the previous six full games, dating to the double-overtime winner by Courtney Kelly against Assumption on Sept. 6. The goal came off a penalty corner, as junior midfielder Alesia Gleason (Harwich, Mass.) injected the ball to senior midfielder Megan Bird (Laconia, N.H.) at the top of the circle. Bird then laid it off on the right side for freshman midfielder Erin Trainor (Auburn, Mass.) who wound and drove the ball towards the cage. While en route, Letarte got a stick to the ball to deflect it behind Stonehill senior goalkeeper Kaitlyn Curtis and get the Ravens on the board. For Trainor, the assist marked her first collegiate point.

The goal snapped Franklin Pierce's scoreless streak at over eight hours of playing time. At nearly seven full games, it marked the longest stretch in program history without a goal.

As far as the game went, the goal would be too little too late, as the Ravens already trailed 4-0 at the time. In the first half, Stonehill struck twice in the opening 6:36. At the 3:28 mark, Fizell started off her five-point game when she took the ball at the top of the circle and sent a pass on the left side to junior midfielder Devin Ingersoll, who drove home her eighth goal of the season. Just 3:08 later, Fizell got on the board herself, with her third of the season, when she stuffed home a rebound from the middle of the circle.

Nearly 10 minutes later, freshman forward Erika Kelly rounded out the first-half scoring with her second of the season, as she took a shot from the top of the circle. Franklin Pierce freshman goalkeeper Sarah Cote (Athol, Mass.) got a piece of it with her pads, but not enough to keep it from trickling across the goal line. In the second half, with 9:59 to play in regulation, Fizell picked up her second goal of the afternoon when she found a loose ball on the left-wing side and one-timed it off the stick of a defender and into the back of the cage.

Cote made eight saves against 12 shots on her goal and took the loss (2-7) in net for Franklin Pierce. Sophomore Elizabeth Genovese started, played the first 64:25 and stopped all four shots on goal at her end of the field to pick up the win (2-4) between the pipes for Stonehill.

The Ravens return to the field on Wednesday, Sept. 26, when they travel to American International for a Northeast-10 Conference contest. Game time is set for 4 p.m. at Ronald J. Abdow Field in Springfield, Mass.

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). Fans wishing to purchase Franklin Pierce field hockey apparel can do so at the Department of Athletics' brand new online store (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu/store).