Three named to NSCAA/adidas first team All-America squad

RINDGE, N.H. (December 17, 2002) - Three members of the Franklin Pierce women's soccer team earned first team All-America honors by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) today.

Seniors Nicole Cheadle (West Chester, Pa./Henderson) and Anumari Ylesmaki (Vantaa, Finland) and sophomore Meghan Welcome (Haverhill, Mass./Haverhill) all received the first All-America selections of their career at the College.

The three first team All-Americans gives Franklin Pierce a total of 20 all-time, tying Barry University for the most in Division II history. The Ravens have also now totaled 28 NSCAA All-Americans, overall, in program history, seven shy of Barry's record total of 35. Cheadle and Welcome are just the third and fourth US-born All-Americans in program history, joining former goalkeeper Jeanette Smith (1995) and back Kirsten Oberg (1991).

Cheadle, a two-year captain, is a three-time All-New England and All-Conference selection. Cheadle was named the 2002 Northeast-10 Conference Defensive Player of the Year this fall for anchoring a Ravens defensive unit that led the Conference and ranked among the best in Division II, yielding just 0.57 goals per match. Franklin Pierce set a school record when it opened the season with six-straight shutouts and did not allow more than one goal in a match until a 3-1 loss to No. 2-ranked University of Nebraska-Omaha in the national semifinals.

Cheadle, a Verizon District I Academic All-American, finished her senior season with nine points on four goals (two match-winners) and an assist. She earned Most Valuable Player honors at the Northeast-10 Championships as she netted both goals in a 2-1 win over No. 12 Merrimack College in the Championship match and anchored a Ravens backline that yielded just one marker in three tournament games.

Ylesmaki, a tri-captain this season, is a two-time All-New England and All-Northeast-10 selection. Ylesmaki moved into the midfield this fall after playing in the back her previous three years at the College, earning NE-10 Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2001. She finished the season ranked third on the team with 27 points, netting ten goals (two match-winners) and dishing seven assists, to rank ninth among Conference point leaders.

Ylesmaki, a Verizon District I Academic All-American, completed her career at the College ranked 20th in program history with 67 career points, while her 27 career assists is good for 12th. She netted both goals in the Ravens 2-1 win at Le Moyne College this season and also registered the match-winning strike in their season-opening 2-0 win at Assumption College.

Welcome, the 2002 Northeast-10 Conference Player of the Year, earned All-New England honors for the first time this season and is a two-time All-Conference selection. She led the NE-10 with 46 points and 20 goals (eight match-winners) this year to go along with six assists. Her 46 points surpassed Beth Ondrick's single-season school record of 41 points by a US-born player set in 1990. Welcome was picked to the NCAA All-Tournament team this season and was named the NE-10 Tournament MVP in 2001.

Welcome enters her junior season ranked 20th in program history with 67 career points and 13th with 28 goals. She totaled a career-best ten points (two shy of the school record) with a career-high four goals (one shy of the school mark) and two assists in the Ravens 10-0 win over American International College on September 30. She registered her second career hat trick with three markers in a 5-0 win over Saint Anselm College on October 22. Welcome netted the match-winning goal in overtime for the second-straight season to defeat No. 12 Merrimack in the NCAA New England Regional final on November 16.

Franklin Pierce finished the 2002 season with a No. 3 ranking in the final NSCAA/adidas Division II women's poll, posting an 18-1-2 record overall, advancing to a record 11th straight Final Four. The Ravens claimed its second-straight Northeast-10 Conference regular season title, with a 12-0-2 clip, before capturing its third-straight NE-10 Tournament title in as many years in the Conference.