Franklin Pierce Women's Soccer Team Uses Strong Second Half
Sinikka Salomaa Nets a Pair as Ravens Get by Merrimack, 4-1
| RINDGE, N.H. (October 19, 2000) -- After being
outshot and, at times, outplayed in the opening 45 minutes of the
match, the Franklin Pierce women's soccer team responded with one
of its strongest halves of the season Thursday to pull away from
Merrimack College, 4-1, in a Northeast-10 Conference match played
out on a cold and soggy Crystal Field.
The Ravens (11-1-1, 9-0-1 NE-10) were outshot 10-3 in the first half and needed a long goal by Christine Kirby (Florida, N.Y.) with 19 seconds left before halftime to take a 2-1 lead. Kirby, who has now scored a goal in three straight games, took a shot from 35 yards out on the left wing that skipped off the hands of Merrimack goalkeeper Alison Skoglund (Haverhill, Mass.) Tanja Pihlblad (Lonsboda, Sweden) had given the Ravens a 1-0 lead in the third minute when she converted a cross to the far post from Minna Mustonen (Helsinki, Finland). The Warriors (9-4, 8-3 NE-10) tied the game at 1-all in the 18th minute on a goal by Karina Thoene (Calden, Germany) from 20 yards out. Merrimack carried play for the next 10-15 minutes. The Ravens regrouped in the second half and controlled play throughout. They outshot the Warriors, 14-3, and got a pair of goals by Sinikka Salomaa (Tampere, Finland). The first came on a blast from the top of the 18-yard-box in the 55th minute and the second came in the 86th minute off a cross from Anumari Ylesmaki (Vantaa, Finland). Kim Higgins (Rochester, N.H.) made four saves for Franklin Pierce, which now turns its attention to Saturday's NE-10 showdown in New Haven, Conn., against first-place Southern Connecticut State University. Game time is set for 4:30 and will be updated live at http://www.fpc/edu. Merrimack is back home in North Andover, Mass., Saturday to play the College of St. Rose. |
| Teams (Record) | 1 | 2 | OT | OT | Final |
| Merrimack (9-4, 8-3) | 1 | 0 | - | - | 1 |
| #8 Franklin Pierce (11-1-1, 9-0-1) | 2 | 2 | - | - | 4 |
| Team | Period | Scorer | Assists | Time |
| FP | 1 | Tanja Pihblad | Minna Mustonen | 2:45 |
| MC | 1 | Karina Thoeme | Kara Alexander | 17:45 |
| FP | 1 | Christine Kirby | -- | 44:41 |
| FP | 2 | Sinikka Salomaa | -- | 54:48 |
| FP | 2 | Sinikka Salomaa | Anumari Ylesmaki | 85:14 |
| Goalkeepers |
| MC: Alison Skoglund, two saves, 70 minutes; Jen Junkins, two saves, 20 minutes |
| FP: Kim Higgins (6-0-1), four saves, 90 minutes |
Corner Kicks: FP 6, Merrimack 5
Shots: FP 17, Merrimack 13