2004 NCAA NEW ENGLAND REGIONAL SEMIFINAL #4 Franklin Pierce Edges Saint Rose, 1-0
Ravens ride Scavo's 28th minute goal to ninth-straight New England Region title match
RINDGE, N.H. (November 12 2004) -Franklin Pierce, ranked No. 4 in this week's National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA)/adidas Division II poll, got a goal midway through the first half and held on for a 1-0 victory over the College of Saint Rose in NCAA Division II New England Regional Tournament action tonight.
Top-seeded Franklin Pierce (19-1) advances to its ninth-straight New England Regional final where it will host second-seeded and No. 21-ranked Assumption College on Sunday at 1 p.m. Assumption (15-5) claimed an identical 1-0 victory over third-seeded and No. 13 Merrimack College in tonight's first match. Saint Rose finishes its season with a 13-5-2 record.
Sophomore back Alex Scavo (Toronto, Ontario) netted the lone goal of the match in the 28th minute when she connected with a cross from the left side from junior All-American Laura Hislop (Belfast, Northern Ireland) at the far post on a sliding shot.
Freshman goalkeeper Jenna Mello (Londonderry, N.H./Londonderry) preserved the win and her seventh shutout of the season with four saves. Saint Rose junior goalkeeper Kat Marasia (Sayville, N.Y./Sayville) finished the match with three saves.
Saint Rose has a handful of quality scoring chances in the second half to knot the score, but just failed to get off a shot on a pair of bids. Senior Renae Ransdell (Richland, Wash./Richland) had a great chance in the 69th minute, but her wide-open header from the top of the six-yard box was just off target.
Franklin Pierce's best chance to add an important insurance goal came in the 81st minute when sophomore back Mia Makarainen (Espoo, Finland) had a wide-open shot in close on the far post, after a cross from the right side found its way through several defenders, but her attempt was well off target.
Hislop, extended her point streak to 19 matches, but had her goal-scoring streak halted at ten matches, which matched the program record set by former three-time All-American Pauliina Miettinen on two occasions during her career.