RINDGE, N.H. (December 20, 2019) – Following a subpar 2018 season that saw the Franklin Pierce University men's soccer team post a below .500 overall mark (7-10-1, 6-6-1 NE10). The Ravens under the leadership of first-year head coach Ruben Resendes made great strides in restoring the tradition of the storied program putting the team on the brink of a regional championship in his first year.

Resendes came to Rindge hoping to make an immediate impact. He had to juggle a roster that saw a few impact pieces from the year before transfer to Division I programs. "With only 12 returners and 20 newcomers, the challenge was always going to be developing chemistry and establishing our identity as a team," said Resendes.

The Ravens started the month of September with a 4-1-1, 2-0-0 Northeast-10 Conference mark. They were dominant in the first win of the year, a 4-0 shutout of non-conference opponent Felician University at home on Sodexo Field. It was Resendes first Division II victory as coach. In October, Pierce stumbled out of the gate with a 2-0 setback to conference foe Le Moyne College. FPU responded with six wins over their next seven games outscoring their opponents 20-to-3 finishing the month with a 10-3-1, 8-2-0 NE10 record.

On October 29th, the crimson and grey received a national ranking from the United Soccer Coaches coming in at no. 22 in the nation ahead of their huge tilt with no. 2 nationally-ranked Adelphi University. With the team leader in goals and points, Stefan Lohberger (Schoellnach, Germany) inactive due to injury in that game, Raven junior forward Yannik Felber (Vallendar, Germany) rose to the occasion scoring two goals and adding an assist as FPU upset the no. 2 ranked Panthers 4-1 in what was their signature win of the campaign. The win vaulted the Ravens to no. 18 in the country, a ranking they would keep until the end of the season. They completed the regular season at 12-3-1, 10-2-0 NE10 and earned the no. 2 seed in the Northeast-10 Championship setting their eyes on the first conference title since 2011.

In the NE10 Quarterfinals, Pierce demolished Bentley University 5-1 using a Felber hat trick (three goals) en route to the victory, however, they failed to move on past the NE10 Semifinals as they tied the College of Saint Rose, 1-1 and lost via PK's.

FPU waited a few days to see if they would receive an at large bid to the NCAA Tournament and they did. They bypassed the First Round all together and was awarded a game on their home pitch in the Second Round against no. 8 ranked Wilmington (Del.). Pierce shutout the high powered Wilmington attack 1-0 to move onto the Third Round where they defeated Post University 2-1 with 30 seconds left in double-overtime off of Javier García Borrás's (Alzira, Spain) penalty kick conversion. They advanced to the Elite 8 or the Quarterfinal Round for the first time since 2011 and faced a steep test versus no. 10 Charleston (W. Va.) where the Ravens season came to an end as the eventual National Champions won the Super Region 1 title by a 2-0 score.

"I think our guys would be the first to tell you that they're not completely satisfied with the season," said Resendes. "The reality is, that it never ends the way you want it to unless you won it all. What's most exciting is that even though we showed we can be a top team in the conference and country, we know that we have so much that we can still improve on in all areas of the game and our program, both on and off the field."

Pierce also had numerous athletes earn postseason honors. Junior defender Carlos Ferrando Felis (Tavernes de la Valldigna, Spain) was one of the most decorated players as he was named a United Soccer Coaches (USC) All-America Second Team Player, a USC All-East Region First Team athlete, a Division II Conference Commissioner's Association (D2CCA) All-Region First Team selection, the Northeast-10 Conference Defensive Player of the Year and an NE10 First Team choice. He was the fifth Defensive Player of the Year in program history and only the third individual to achieve the feat. Felis was a staple on the backline helping lead Pierce to the 8th lowest goals-against average in all NCAA Division II (0.69). 

All in all the men's soccer program had one USC All-American, three USC All-Region players, two D2CCA All-East Region athletes, seven NE10 All-Conference selections and one NE10 All-Rookie team choice. In the classroom, Felber notched his second straight CoSIDA Academic All-America® Division II Men's Soccer team selection while outgoing senior Niklas Laudahn (Olfen, Germany) also joined his teammate on the CoSIDA Academic All-America® team. Both players were CoSIDA Academic All-District selections while Laudahn earned a USC Scholar All-Region First Team honor.

The Ravens year wrapped up at 15-4-2, 10-2-0 NE10 while going 3-1-1 in postseason play. They had an impressive 10-0-1 mark on their home pitch Sodexo Field which was key to their success. In December, Pierce was ranked the no. 7 team in the nation in the final edition of the United Soccer Coaches Poll and will hold that spot until next year. They went unranked to a top-10 team in Division II all in a few months.

For more information on Franklin Pierce Athletics, please visit the official website of Franklin Pierce Athletics (http://fpuravens.com). 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 apparel can do so at the Department of Athletics' online store (https://shopfpuravens.com). You can also follow the men's soccer team on Twitter (https://twitter.com/fpumsoccer), Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/fpumsoccer/) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/fpumsoccer/).