Mann goal 2:47 into overtime ends scoreless stalemate with No. 8 Lock Haven

LOCK HAVEN, Pa. (November 17, 2001) - Top-ranked Franklin Pierce was challenged with a road-trip to No. 8 Lock Haven University in the NCAA Division II Women's Soccer Quarterfinal and answered the call with a dramatic 1-0 overtime victory in front of a boisterous 1,062 at McCollum Field this afternoon.

The Ravens (22-0) advance to the NCAA semifinals for a record tenth-straight year with its school-record 22nd win of the season. Franklin Pierce will face the winner of tomorrow's quarterfinal match between No. 22 University of North Florida and No. 2 Christian Brothers University to be played in Memphis, Tenn.

"I think it is a great record to have ten-straight Final Four appearances," said Franklin Pierce
Head Coach Jeff Bailey. "There have been a lot of players that have been a part of this with not just one group carrying us and today showed that it isn't easy to make it either."

The two sides played an even 90-minutes of play, and while Franklin Pierce carried a 10-5 advantage in shots, Lock Haven made the best of its opportunities, placing two of its five shots on net and forcing nine corner kicks to six for the Ravens.

However, the only shot of extra time found the back of the net as junior Patricia Keeldar (Amsterdam, Holland/Ter Leede) sent a cross into the box that found classmate April Mann (Brisbane, Australia/Saint Thomas More) for a sliding shot that trickled through the Eagles defense and just past LHU freshman goalkeeper Ashley Babiarz 2:47 into overtime.

"I don't know how I was able to make contact," said Mann. "(Christine) Kirby said is was like slow motion, but I never really saw it go into the net."

"In a game like this it was always going to be a goal like that that would decide it," said Lock Haven Head Coach Doug Moore. "You just aren't going to have a spectacular goal it is going to be a bobbly, wobbly one, but they all count the same."

Lock Haven seemed poised to avenge an early-season 6-3 loss to the Ravens in Rindge, on September 2, a game in which Franklin Pierce held a 6-0 lead after 40-minutes and 6-1 at the intermission.

"They definitely improved," said Mann "I was afraid of that coming in but I wasn't exactly expecting overtime either."

"We knew they were very athletic and the first 20-minutes on the road were going to be tough," said Bailey. "In the first game, we were able to jump out on them early and take advantage of some of the open spaces - to their credit, that didn't happen today."

Mann had the opportunity to give Franklin Pierce a 1-0 lead with 13-minutes to play in the opening half after Keeldar sent her in on a breakaway, but her shot from five-yards out went just wide of the net on the right side.

Junior Angela Verdoes (Katwijk Aan Zee, Holland/Ter Leede) had an excellent bid with seven to play in the half, but her blast from 35-yards out caromed off the crossbar and LHU was able to clear.

Mann skimmed the crossbar 3:10 into the second half with a shot just inside the box for Franklin Pierce, but the best chance of the half came for Lock Haven midway through the second half as freshman Danielle Smith had a wide open shot with Franklin Pierce keeper Kim Higgins (Rochester, N.H./Spaulding) out of the net, but Smith missed wide left.

"As we have gotten closer and closer here down the stretch the standard of play has improved," said Mann. "(A trip to the Final Four) is why I came here, so I'm happy we got this one today."

Higgins posted two saves in recording her eighth shutout of the season (16th career), while Babiarz also registered two saves for the Eagles.