Four Ravens named to All-New England first team, led by Welcome - a three-time pick 

RINDGE, N.H. (December 8, 2003) - Five members of the Franklin Pierce women's soccer team have earned spots on the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA)/adidas NCAA Division II New England Regional teams.

Senior midfielder Meghan Welcome (Haverhill, Mass./Haverhill) headed a list of four first team honorees as she earned All-New England honors for the third-straight year. Joining her on the first team are juniors Laura Hislop (Belfast, Northern Ireland) and Sonya Hughes (Balbriggan, Ireland) and sophomore Alex Scavo (Toronto, Ontario/Brother Andre). Sophomore back Mia Makarainen (Espoo, Finland) rounds out the five picks with a spot on the second team.        

Welcome, a two-time Northeast-10 Player of the Year and All-American, becomes the College's 11^th three-time All-Region pick in program history after becoming the program's first four-time All-Northeast-10 honoree earlier this fall. She ranked second on the team this season with 40 points (3^rd NE-10) and 17 goals (3^rd), while her six assists are third on the team.

Welcome netted a team-best six match-winning goals this year (2^nd NE-10) to give her a program-record 27 over her four-year career which surpassed the previous program record of 26 winners set by former three-time All-American Pauliina Miettinen from 1995-98. Welcome also moved into fourth-place on the College's all-time scoring list with 168 career points, while her 71 career goals are second all-time and her 26 assists rank 15^th. She also finished her career holding the program records for career and single-season points and goals by a US-born player.            

Hislop, the reigning NCAA Division II National Player of the Year and first team All-American, claims first team All-New England honors for the second-straight year after also earning NE-10 Player of the Year honors and her second-straight All-Conference pick this fall.

Hislop led the Northeast-10 in all three scoring categories for the second-straight season, totaling 31 goals, 15 assists and 77 points. She played a role in 46 of the Ravens 73 goals (63-percent), netted five match-winning goals and registered three hat tricks. Her point total is tied for seventh on the program's single-season list, while her goals rank fourth.

Hislop will enter her final season with Franklin Pierce ranked sixth in program history with 162 career points and 62 career goals, while her 38 career assists are good for eighth all-time in just 47 matches.            

Hughes, selected an a third team ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American this year, earns first team All-Region honors for the first time after receiving second team honors as a sophomore. She is also a two-time All-Northeast-10 Conference pick, was named to the inaugural NE-10 All-Academic squad and earned first team Academic All-District honors.

Hughes ranked third on the team with 34 points (5^th NE-10) and 11 goals (7^th), while her 12 assists were second to Hislop on the team and in the NE-10. Hughes also tallied four match-winning goals for the Ravens.

Hughes will enter her final season with the Ravens ranked 21^st in program history with 69 career points, while her 31 career assists are good for 11^th all-time. Hughes came within an assist of matching the NCAA Tournament record of five in that category while earning All-Tournament honors at the 2003 NCAA Championships.            

Scavo earns All-New England honors for first time after also picking up her first All-Northeast-10 accolades after moving to the Ravens defensive unit this season following a freshman season which saw her play both as a forward and midfielder. This fall, she backboned a Ravens defensive unit, which ranked first in the Northeast-10 in goals allowed (14) and goals against average (0.63). Franklin Pierce also posted 11 shutouts, which ranked second in the Conference.

Scavo also stepped into the offensive flow and totaled five goals and three assists for 13 points, to lead all Ravens defenders and rank fourth on the team. She netted two match-winning goals and registered a hat trick in a win over American International this season. Scavo was named Tournament MVP in helping the Ravens claim a fifth-straight NE-10 Tournament title this fall.           

Makarainen also earns her first All-Region honors after being named to the All-Northeast-10 second team for the first time earlier this year. She earned spots on the inaugural NE-10 All-Academic team and ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District teams.

Makarainen played a significant role for a Ravens defensive unit, which ranked first in the Northeast-10 in goals allowed (14) and goals against average (0.63). Franklin Pierce also posted 11 shutouts, which ranked second in the Conference. Makarainen chipped in with two assists for the Ravens.

Over her two seasons with the Ravens, Makarainen has been a part of a defensive unit, which has yielded just 0.75 goals per match with 20 shutouts in 37 matches, while also dishing five career assists.

Franklin Pierce (20-1-1, 13-1 NE-10), ranked No. 5 in the final NSCAA/adidas Division II women's soccer poll, earned a record 13^th-straight NCAA Tournament berth, advancing to the quarterfinal round after claiming its ninth-straight New England Regional title. The Ravens also won the Northeast-10 Conference Tournament title for the fifth-straight year after claiming their fourth-straight regular season crown.