Allen, Makarainen named to Academic All-District first team, Hughes voted to third team.

RINDGE, N.H. (November 15, 2005) - Three members of the No. 4-ranked Franklin Pierce women's soccer team have earned ESPN The Magazine District I Academic All-America honors as selected by College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) members throughout the Northeast.

Senior midfielder Elizabeth Allen (Durham, N.H./Oyster River) and junior back Mia Makarainen (Espoo, Finland) were named to the Academic All-District first team, while senior midfielder Sonya Hughes (Balbriggan, Ireland) was voted to the College Division third team. The Academic All-District College Division teams are comprised of NCAA Division II and III student-athletes from New England and New York. Allen and Makarainen are now eligible for Academic All-America honors as voted on by CoSIDA's Academic All-America committee.            

Allen, who joins former teammate Martta Makila (2002-2004) as the only student-athletes in program history to earn Academic All-District honors all three years eligible, has achieved a 3.87 cumulative grade point average while majoring in sports and recreation management. Allen has earned Northeast-10 Commissioner's Honor Roll Gold Scholar honors twice and Silver Scholar honors once during her Franklin Pierce career and is a two-time NE-10 All-Academic pick - including a unanimous first team choice this fall.

The Ravens tri-captain is a four-year letterwinner at defensive midfield. Allen has played a key role for a Franklin Pierce team that ranks second in the NE-10 with a 0.65 team goals against average and third with 11 shutouts this season. In 15 matches played, 12 starts, Allen has registered a goal and assist for three points.

All three of Allen's career goals in four years at the College have been match-winners, including the lone goal in a 1-0 victory over Southern Connecticut State on October 22. Eight days later, her penalty kick capped a 4-3 shootout victory over Southern in the quarterfinal round of the NE-10 Tournament after the two sides had played to a 1-1 draw.            

Makarainen, now a two-time Academic All-District Selection after earning a spot on the third team as a sophomore, has posted a 3.87 GPA in management at the College. Makarainen is a two-time NE-10 Commissioner's Honor Roll Gold Scholar and Conference All-Academic pick - being voted to the first team this fall.

Makarainen is a key member of a Franklin Pierce defensive unit, which ranks second in the NE-10 with a 0.65 team goals against average and third with 11 shutouts this season. She has dished one assist this season for a point, which came on the match-winner of Sunday's 2-0 victory over No. 15 Assumption College in the NCAA New England Region Championship. The Ravens tri-captain earned All-Northeast-10 Conference honors for the second-straight year this season and All-New England Region honors in 2004.         

Hughes, also a repeat Academic All-District selection, has recorded a 3.23 GPA in psychology at the College. The 2004 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American is also a two-time Northeast-10 All-Academic selection, a three-time All-NE-10 and two-time All-New England region honoree Hughes also earned NSCAA/adidas All-America honors in 2004.

Hughes is second on the team with 12 goals (6^th NE-10), eight assists (4^th) and 32 points (3^rd), while sharing the team lead with six match-winning goals (2^nd NE-10). Her match-winning goal in Sunday's 2-0 win over No. 15 Assumption in the NCAA Tournament made her the tenth player in program history to reach the 100-career point plateau. Hughes has totaled 101 career points on 31 goals (13^th all-time) and 39 assists (9^th) in three seasons for the Ravens.

Franklin Pierce (18-1-2, 12-1-1 NE-10) has reached the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Tournament and will host No. 5-ranked West Chester (Pa.) University (20-1-2) on Saturday at 1 p.m. The winner advances to the national semifinal, hosted by Midwestern State University, in Wichita Falls, Texas, on December 1. The Ravens, who collected both the NE-10 regular season and tournament titles for the fifth-straight year, are seeking their 13^th Final Four berth in 14 years.