Ravens post 4-2 decision on PK’s after playing to 0-0 double-overtime draw with #7 Midwestern State University

ORANGE BEACH, Ala. (November 30, 2007) – Franklin Pierce University, ranked fourth in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA)/adidas Division II poll, advanced to its second National Championship match in three years with a 4-2 penalty shootout decision over 7th-ranked Midwestern State University after the two sides played to a 0-0 double-overtime draw in semifinal round action of the NCAA Division II Men’s Soccer Championships, hosted by the University of West Florida and the City of Orange Beach, Ala., in front of 443 tonight.

Franklin Pierce (16-2-4) advances to Sunday’s National Championship match where it will face #16 Lincoln Memorial University (20-3-1) at 2 p.m. The Railsplitters advanced with a 1-0 double-overtime victory in today’s first semifinal. Sunday’s match will be televised live on College Sports Television (CSTV). Midwestern State (18-3-2) was participating in its first Division II Final Four since becoming a member in 1997.

“We’ve been here before,” said Franklin Pierce Head Coach Marco Koolman. “We have to prepare now in 48 hours. Being two years more mature than two years ago can be a credit.”

Senior All-America goalkeeper James Thorpe (East Longmeadow, Mass./Bridgton Academy) won the sixth-straight penalty shootout in his career, stopping Midwestern State’s second and third kicks to set up the victory. The two stops give him 17 saves over his career on penalty kicks as he improves to 6-1 all-time in shootouts.

“Of the six shootouts I’ve won, I was most nervous about this one,” said Thorpe. “You just have to relax. I knew this was going to be one of those games where I needed to come up big”

Thorpe made six saves during the match to post his 11th shutout of the season (48th career). Already the NCAA Division II record holder for career minutes played with 8,301:11, he enters Sunday’s championship match just 5:49 shy of the NCAA all division’s record of 8,306 set by Steve McCullough, who played at UNC Ashville and Marquette from 1991-94.

“(James) took over the position four years ago and came up big and he’s been a backbone we’re very thankful to,” said Koolman. “The fact that he remains relaxed and humble is a credit to his abilities. You have to be relaxed to come up with big saves.”

Senior Jeremy Turner (Friendswood, Texas/Friendswood) finished with four saves in goal for Midwestern State to notch his sixth shutout of the year.

Senior All-America back Bisharra Ettienne (East Elmhurst, N.Y./Dominica State College) converted Franklin Pierce’s fifth kick to send the Ravens through to the final. Midwestern State junior Shawn Carr (Plano, Texas/Plano East) stopped Franklin Pierce senior captain Michel Vitulano (Montreal, Quebec/College de Maisonneuve) on the Ravens first kick, but Thorpe came up big on MSU’s second and third attempts to turn the tables.

Thorpe stopped senior Daniel Brown (Arlington, Texas/Martin), MSU’s leading scorer, with his shoe tops when he went right while Brown sent his kick down the middle. In the third round, he got to the attempt of junior Robert Swann (Sunderland, England) to his right.

”Soccer can be a cruel sport,” said Midwestern State Head Coach Doug Elder. “Unfortunately when you get in PK’s it’s a flip of the coin. We didn’t want this to go to penalty kicks. You hate to go out that way, and we’re very disappointed in the result.”

Franklin Pierce took the early initiative in the match, nearly gaining an early lead after grad student David Clifton (London, England) and sophomore Henning Comé (Göteborg, Sweden) worked together on a combination that released freshman back Adit Phataraprasit (Bangkok, Thailand) down the left side. Phataraprasit was in the penalty area one-on-one with Turner, but the keeper came off his line well to stifle the attempt.

Ettienne got on the end of the ensuing corner kick by Vitulano, but his far post header was just off target. That would prove to be Franklin Pierce’s best scoring chances of the match as MSU’s defense put the clamps on Clifton and Comé, who combined to score 40 of the Ravens 57 goals this season.

“That’s close to 60-70-percent of their attack,” said Elder. “We knew that if we shut them down you neutralize a very good attacking team. We just stayed real tight on them.”

“(Midwestern State) was very organized and played well,” said Clifton. “We didn’t play as well as we could have either, so it was a little bit of both tonight.”

Brown, who led MSU with 24 goals and 53 points this season, was kept quiet for most of the match, but Thorpe was called on to stop a shot low to his left by Brown in the 22nd minute.

”We defended pretty well our players knew what was at stake and never gave up,” said Koolman. “I have to compliment (Midwestern State), they are very talented and a very well coached team. I thought we played into their game and that wasn’t what we wanted to do.”

Sophomore Kyle Kmiec (Chapel Hill, Texas/Brenham) had two chances early in the second half. The first was in the 48th minute when he saw a chip from the top of the penalty area carom off and over the cross bar. He was in one-on-one with Thorpe in the 57th minute, after he beat the Ravens offside trap, but his teammates appeared to give up on the play, expecting an offside flag that never came, just enough to allow Thorpe to collect the loose ball.

Thorpe’s best save of the night came at the right time with sophomore Tyler Murphy (Winfield, British Columbia/George Elliot) bearing down on the left side. Thorpe cut off the angle on his right and perfectly timed Murphy’s shot to keep the match scoreless in the 106th minute.

“That was probably the biggest save of my four year career,” said Thorpe. “The kid was six yards away and he hit it well. The thing that I was shocked about was that I was able to hold on to the ball. I knew right there we should win this game”