RINDGE, N.H. (March 19, 2021) – Making their return to the pitch for the first time in 450+ days, the recently minted no.4 nationally-ranked Franklin Pierce University men's soccer program took to the field to officially open their 2021 spring season against American International College. The Ravens dominated from the first possession and did not look back upending the guests 4-1 on a cold Friday evening at Sodexo Field.

The scoring got started early for the Ravens thanks to Pedro Juan Vicente (Elche, Spain) at the 11:17 mark. An AIC turnover deep in their own end resulted in Vicente finding himself alone in front with Miguel Angel Pastor Gutierrez (Valencia, Spain) feeding him the rock and the newcomer buried the shot attempt for the early 1-0 edge 11 minutes in.

Franklin Pierce doubled their lead before halftime after a quick strike goal at 27:51. Aaron Acevedo Artes (Valencia, Spain) received a long pass from the backfield before tapping it to Marco Perez (Elda, Spain) who beat his defender and put the ball behind the goalie.

The halftime break did not change much as the Ravens continued their possession heavy strategy and added a nice goal in the 69th minute. Artes stole the ball from an AIC midfielder and ran down the field and cut to the middle. He then put a shot back towards the bottom corner of the net to add his second point of the night and extend the lead to 3-0.

The Ravens' last goal of the night came in the 82nd minute this time from Pastor Gutierrez who got an opportunity in front of the net and he cashed home his chance.

AIC scored just 2 minutes later at 84:42 off a broken play from Franklin Pierce. Colin Spaulding chipped the ball just over the fingertips of the Ravens netminder to get the Yellow Jackets on the board, but it was ultimately too little too late.

Freshman Diego Montoya Casillas (Cuernavaca, Mexico) got the start for the Ravens in goal and earned his first career win making two saves on three shots. Michael Tranghese and Ioannis Lastroudis split time in the cage for the Yellow Jackets each giving up two goals apiece in the loss.

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/).