QUEENS, N.Y. (8/25/22) – The #12 ranked Franklin Pierce men's soccer squad officially kicked off their 2022 season on Thursday evening, starting things off on a high note with a 5-0 shutout victory at Queens College.

The first half of play presented only a single goal for the Ravens, coming off of a carefully placed feed from graduate Jonas Cervera Anchel (Chiva, Spain), with the completion in front by Jesus Gonzalez Diaz (Gilena, Spain) off a header for the season opening goal. Through the first half, Pierce tested the Queens defense with 11 total shots.

The Ravens continued to pressure offensively in the second frame, with their second goal coming off of a failed clear by the Knights, setting up Diaz for his second goal of the contest. The lead would later increase to 3-0 with just over 20 minutes left, off a shot from the penalty arc by junior midfielder Rodrigo Vaza (Torres Verdes, Portugal), picking the top left corner.

Pierce added the finishing touches in the latter stages of the match, scoring a pair of goals less than a minute apart from each other. Graduate midfielder Jero Ferrando Ferri (Valencia, Spain) potted the first of the two, once again off a defensive hiccup from the Queens defense, putting the game out of reach at 4-0. The decider quickly came thereafter from Marc Lopez (Valencia, Spain) after he was taken down in the box, ending the nights offense with a penalty kick goal.

Ravens goalkeeper Kosta Maniatis (Montreal, Quebec) manned the full 90 minutes for the crimson and grey, finishing the shutout victory making three saves on three total shots.

Men's soccer remains on the road to start the season, with their next matchup coming this Saturday, August 27^th at Laurel Hills Park (N.J.), where they will take on host Nyack College. Kickoff is scheduled for 1PM.