No.1 Men's Soccer Forges Ahead to NCAA Quarterfinal with 2-1 Win over No.12 Davis & Elkins
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
No. 12 Davis & Elkins (16-3-1, 14-2-0) | 1 | 0 | 1 |
|
Franklin Pierce (22-0-1, 10-0-1) | 1 | 1 | 2 |
RINDGE, N.H. (11/17/22) - The top-seeded Franklin Pierce men's soccer team scored once in each half to secure a low-scoring, 2-1 victory over fifth-seeded Davis & Elkins College (WV) on Thursday evening from Sodexo Field.
With the win, the Ravens find their way back into the Elite Eight of the NCAA Championship for the first time since 2019, and improves to 22-0-1 overall on the season. Davis & Elkins, with the loss, concludes their run in the third round of the tournament, finishing the season with a 16-3-1 record.
The first six minutes of the first half saw a goal from each team, opening with a strike from graduate defender Jesus Gonzalez Diaz (Gilena, Spain) off a corner kick, notching his fourth of the season for the early 1-0 Raven lead. However, the Senators quickly answered back just 3:25 later, when a stretch pass from center field sent forward Daniel Cerezo behind the Raven defense, forcing Raven netminder Kosta Maniatis (Montreal, Quebec) out of his goal to tie the contest at 1-1. Through the half, Pierce would finish with an 8-3 shots advantage over Davis & Elkins, and would carry the 1-1 score into halftime.
In the 59th minute of the second half, the Ravens re-secured their lead as graduate forward Miguel Angel Pastor Gutierrez (Valencia, Spain) delivered the eventual winner in the 59th minute. Sophomore Braudilio Rodrigues (Lisbon, Portugal) and junior Vicente Valor Martinez (San Juan, Spain) each tallied assists on the game-winner, with Rodrigues claiming his second of the contest. When all was said and done, the Ravens emerged victorious along with a 14-4 shots advantage.
With the win, senior keeper Kosta Maniatis made one save on two shots faced through 90 minutes, as Davis & Elkins goalkeeper Beltran Fernandez turned away three of five in the loss.
The afternoon's early contest featured a victory for the second-ranked University of Charleston (WV) over sixth-seeded Post University by a 2-0 final. The No.2 Golden Eagles will clash with the No.1 Ravens this Saturday for the NCAA Men's Soccer Championship Quarterfinal, right back at Sodexo Field for a 6 p.m. kickoff.
