Ravens Advance with 6-0 Win over Bloomsburg

RINDGE, N.H. (November 18, 2000) - Minna Mustonen (Helsinki, Finland) was at her best Saturday as defending national champion Franklin Pierce beat Bloomsburg (Pa.) University, 6-0, in the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Division II women's soccer tournament.

The Ravens (18-2-2) will try to take one more step toward a NCAA Division II-record sixth national title when they play the winner of Sunday's quarterfinal match between California-San Diego and Central Oklahoma.

The semifinal round is scheduled for December 1 and the championship is slated for December 3. The site of the Final Four, which will be hosted by one of the remaining institutions, will be announced Monday.

The Huskies end the year at 16-4-1.

Mustonen, a senior who led Division II in scoring last year, scored the first four goals of the game, including three in the first half as the Ravens dominated from start to finish. She now has 23 goals and 58 points, moving up to second on the program's all-time leaders in goals (69) and third in points (169).

She got her first goal in the fifth minute, converting a cross from junior midfielder Jenny Petronis (Burnt Hills, N.Y.), and made it 2-0 in the 21st minute when she banged home a loose rebound after an initial shot by senior forward Tanja Pihlblad (Lonsboda, Sweden) hit the post. However, it was her third goal in the 37th minute that ranks as one of her prettiest of the year.

Ranging out toward midfield for the ball, Mustonen weaved her way down the left sideline, dodging three defenders before beating Bloomsburg goalkeeper Amanda Lawler (Schnecksville, Pa.) with a quick, low shot.

The Finnish national team player capped off her memorable day in the 76th minute by converting another pass from Petronis. Petronis now has a team-high 15 assists.

Junior midfielder Julia Uuslmalmi (Tampere, Finland) made it 5-0 with her 15th goal, on a penalty kick in the 82nd minute, and sophomore forward Angela Verdoes (Katwijk Aan Zee, Holland) finished the scoring 36 seconds later off a long through pass from Uusmalmi.

Verdoes, who set a NCAA Division II single-season record last year with 24 assists, was making her first appearance of the year. She sat out during the regular season, the Northeast-10 Conference tournament and a first-round win over Southern Connecticut as she worked her way back from preseason knee surgery.

Verdoes, who looked strong in her 16 minutes on the field, had another goal waived off by an offsides call.

The Huskies also called on one of their injured stars during the game. Junior Alea Balthaser (Hamburg, Pa.), who missed five games during the regular season with an ankle injury, was inserted early in the first half, but was taken out after 20 minutes and did not return.

The Ravens owned the advantage in shots (29-8) and corner kicks (7-4), while the Huskies had the edge in fouls (18-13).

Franklin Pierce goalkeeper Kim Higgins (Rochester, N.H.) made eight saves to record her sixth shutout of the year.

The Ravens have never played UC-San Diego or Central Oklahoma. UCSD moved up to Division II this year after winning five championships in Division III, including the 1999 championship.

Franklin Pierce will be making its ninth consecutive trip to the Division II Final Four.

Corner Kicks: FP 7, BU, 4
Shots: FP, 29, SCSU 8