Ravens quest for record 11th-straight Final Four and sixth National Title begins Saturday

RINDGE, N.H. (November 11, 2002) - The Franklin Pierce women's soccer team, ranked No. 4 in the most recent National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA)/adidas Division II poll, has officially received an invitation to its 11th-straight NCAA Division II Tournament and first round bye and will host the 2002 NCAA New England Regional Championship on Saturday, November 16, on Crystal Field at 1 p.m.

Franklin Pierce (16-0-2) will host the winner of Wednesday's NCAA first round match-up between third seeded College of Saint Rose (14-4) and second-seeded Merrimack College (14-6-1), which will be played at Warrior Field in North Andover, Mass., at 1:30 p.m.

Franklin Pierce is making its 11th-straight NCAA Division II Tournament appearance and looks to advance to a Division II record 11th-straight Final Four and a possible record sixth Division II National Championship. The Ravens will have had two weeks since their last match when they take the field on Saturday afternoon. Franklin Pierce claimed its third-straight Northeast-10 Conference Championship with a 2-1 win over Merrimack on Sunday, November 3, in Smithfield, R.I. The Ravens also claimed its second NE-10 regular season title and eighth such Conference title over the last nine seasons with a 12-0-2 NE-10 record this fall.

The Ravens are led by a stout defensive unit, anchored by senior tri-captain Nicole Cheadle (West Chester, Pa./Henderson) who earned NE-10 Defensive Player of the Year honors. Franklin Pierce leads the NE-10 and ranks fifth nationally with a 0.38 team goals against average while posting 11 shutouts. Cheadle, a four-time All-Conference and two-time All-New England selection, earned Verizon Academic All-District honors last week and was named MVP of the NE-10 Tournament as she netted three goals, including both in the Championship match victory over Merrimack, and led a defense that allowed just one goal in three postseason games.

Sophomore Martta Makila (Vantaa, Finland), an All-NE-10 and Verizon Academic All-District pick, teams with Cheadle in the back along with juniors Alison Considine (Needham, Mass./Needham) and Alana Sullivan (Dorchester, Mass./Mitchell College). The Ravens defense has allowed just seven goals in 18 matches and opened the season with a program-record six consecutive shutouts.

The beneficiary of the strong Ravens back line is junior goalkeeper Aase Kibsgaard (Korgen, Norway), a transfer from Champlain College. The All-Northeast-10 selection leads the Conference and ranks eighth in Division II with a 0.42 GAA to go along with a .848 save percentage and eight shutouts. Kibsgaard's eight shutouts this season is already good for eighth on the College's career list.

Leading the Franklin Pierce offense, which leads the NE-10 and ranks 12th in Division II averaging 3.5 goals per match, is Northeast-10 Conference Player of the Year Meghan Welcome (Haverhill, Mass./Haverhill). The sophomore forward leads the Conference and ranks 16th in the country with 44 points, netting an NE-10 best 19 goals (seven game-winners) to go along with six assists. Welcome showed a knack for clutch goals when she scored the game-winning goal on a 35-yard free kick in overtime in last year's regional final against Merrimack at Crystal Field.

Senior Anumari Ylesmaki (Vantaa, Finland), a two-time All-Northeast-10 selection and Verizon Academic All-District honoree, is second on the team in scoring with 27 points (10 goals, 7 assists). The 2001 NE-10 Defensive Player of the Year moved into the midfield to assist with the offensive output and has established career-best point and goal totals this fall. She currently ranks 19th in program history with 67 career points and her 27 career assists is good for 12th all-time.

SeniorAndrea Caesar (Visby, Sweden), also a two-time All-Northeast-10 pick and Verizon Academic All-District selection, leads the Conference and ranks 11th nationally with 12 assists to go along with six goals for 24 points. She played a role in all three game winning goals in the Ravens march to a third-straight NE-10 Tournament title as she totaled six points with a goal and four assists in the event. Classmate Angela Verdoes (Katwijk Aan Zee, Holland), an All-America selection last fall and four-time All-Conference and three-time All-Region pick, has added 23 points (10 gls, 3 asts).

Adding support in the midfield are senior Kamille Rosenfalck (Borup, Denmark), a two-time All-Conference honoree, and sophomore Laura King (Bridgewater, Mass./Bridgewater-Raynham). Rosenfalck has dished nine assists, while King plays more of a defensive role in the middle. Franklin Pierce has posted a combined 2-0-1 record against its two possible opponents this fall. The Ravens registered a 4-0 win over Saint Rose on September 21 in Albany, N.Y., behind three point outings from both Welcome and Caesar not to mention a stout defensive effort that held the Golden Knights without a shot on goal.

Franklin Pierce rebounded from a 1-1 deadlock with Merrimack on October 2 at Crystal Field in which it needed a goal from Makila in the 73rd minute to even the score with the 2-1 win in the NE-10 Championship match.

The Ravens hold a 6-0-1 advantage in the all-time series with Saint Rose and an 18-2-1 clip against Merrimack.

The winner of the New England regional final will advance to the NCAA Quarterfinals and face the winner of the NCAA Northeast Regional on Saturday or Sunday, November 23-24. Lock Haven University (16-2-1) is the top seed in the Northeast and will face the winner of Wednesday's game between Adelphi University (15-1-2) and Bloomsburg University (12-5-3) this weekend.

2002 NCAA Division II New England Regional

FIRST ROUND
Wednesday, November 13
#3 College of Saint Rose (14-4) at #2 Merrimack College (14-6-1), 1:30 p.m.

SECOND ROUND
Saturday, November 16
Saint Rose/Merrimack winner at #1 Franklin Pierce (16-0-1), 1 p.m.

NCAA QUARTERFINAL
Saturday, November 23 or Sunday, November 24
Northeast Region Champion vs. New England Region Champion, Time TBA

NCAA FINAL FOUR
December 6-8, Virginia Beach Sportsplex, Virginia Beach, Va.