Top-seeded Ravens look to reach eighth NE-10 Championship with win over fourth-seeded Owls

RINDGE, N.H. (November 5, 2008) - Regular season Northeast-10 Conference co-champions Franklin Pierce University, ranked 13^th in this week's National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA)/adidas Division II poll, will host fourth-seeded Southern Connecticut State University, ranked seventh in the NSCAA/adidas East Region, in semifinal round action of the 2008 Northeast-10 Conference women's soccer championship.

Franklin Pierce (14-3-1, 11-2-1 NE-10) and Southern Connecticut (12-4-2, 9-3-2 NE-10) will square off on Thursday, November 6, on Sodexo Field at 4 p.m. The Ravens are seeking their eighth NE-10 Championship appearance and a shot at a Conference record eighth tournament title, while the Owls are looking to advance to their second final after earning their first appearance in 2000.

Admission for Thursday's match will be $6.00 for adults and $3.00 for students, children and senior citizens. The match will also be broadcast live on WFPC-LP 105.3 FM and also streamed over the internet at athletics.franklinpierce.edu.

Franklin Pierce advanced to tomorrow's semifinal round with a convincing 5-0 victory over eighth-seeded Saint Anselm College behind a four-goal outburst from sophomore All-American Angelika Johansson (Falkenberg, Sweden). Southern advanced by posting a 2-0 victory over fifth-seeded Southern New Hampshire University on second-half goals from grad student Mara Primmer (Oneonta, N.Y./Oneonta) and junior Nicole Burton (Warwick, N.Y./Warwick). Sophomore goalkeeper Katie DiDio (Vernon, Conn./Rockville) made five saves to preserve the shutout.

The winner of Thursday's matchup will advance to the NE-10 Championship on Sunday to face the winner of tomorrow's other NE-10 semifinal between second-seeded College of Saint Rose (15-3-1, 11-2-1 NE-10) and sixth-seeded University of Massachusetts Lowell (8-4-5, 6-3-5 NE-10) that kicks off in Albany, N.Y., at 1 p.m. Kickoff time for Sunday's championship match will be announced on Friday.

Franklin Pierce enters Thursday's match winners of a season-high seven straight and nine of 11 after Sunday's quarterfinal win over Saint Anselm. The Ravens have played well defensively of late, yielding just one goal over their last six matches and only six over their last 14 (0.43/match) after conceding nine goals in their opening four contests. Franklin Pierce leads the NE-10 in scoring with 2.83 goals per match (20^th nationally), while ranking third with a 0.81 team goals against average.

Johansson, the Northeast-10 Player of the Year and a first team All-Conference pick for the second time, leads all of Division II in scoring with 60 points and goals with 28 to go with four assists and is one of just three Franklin Pierce players to start all 18 matches this season to date. The NE-10 leader with eight match-winning goals, Johansson is appearing in the postseason for the first time after missing the Ravens entire postseason run in 2007 with an injury late in the year. Sunday's four-goal outburst was her fifth hat trick and seventh multi-goal game this season. 

Junior All-American Gabriela Demoner (Curitiba, Brazil), named a first team All-NE-10 honoree for the third-straight year over the weekend, is second on the team with 22 points (6^th NE-10 and six goals to go with a Conference-high ten assists (14^th nationally). She has also netted three match-winning goals. Senior Kristen Cilley (Belchertown, Mass./Belchertown) has chipped in two goals and six assists (5^th NE-10) for ten points.

Senior goalkeeper Brittany Ester (Toms River, N.J./Toms River East), a third team All-NE-10 selection, has seen the majority of time in goal this season for Franklin Pierce and posted a 0.83 goals against average (3^rd NE-10) and .758 save percentage (10^th) with a Conference-best eight shutouts in 1,627:57 over 18 starts. Ester extended her postseason shutout streak to 841:47 in Sunday's win over Saint Anselm - 281:47 of which have come in NE-10 Tournament matches.   

The Ravens defense, which has posted nine-straight clean sheets in postseason play, is anchored by junior All-American Rachel Smith (Chichester, N.H./Bible Baptist School (Pa.)), who was named the Northeast-10's Defensive Player of the Year.

Southern Connecticut enters Thursday's NE-10 semifinal winners of four-straight and unbeaten over its last six (5-0-1) after Sunday's 2-0 win over Southern New Hampshire. The Owls, seeking their first NE-10 Tournament title, lead the Conference with a 0.65 team goals against average (18^th nationally) and are fifth in scoring with 2.06 goals per match.

DiDio is the backbone of the NE-10's top defensive unit, having posted a 0.66 goals against average (2^nd NE-10) and Conference-best .868 save percentage with six shutouts (4^th) in 1,637:22 over 18 matches this season. The Southern defense is also anchored by junior Ashley Knight (Rockland, Mass./Rockland), a first team All-NE-10 selection. The Owls have posted five-straight shutouts and carry a shutout streak of 507:40 into tomorrow's semifinal match.

Freshman Jenna Mallico (Milford, Conn./Foran), the NE-10 Freshman of the Year and a first team All-NE-10 selection, leads Southern with six goals (four match-winners) and five assists for 17 points this season. Burton has added six goals (two match-winners) and two assists for 14 points, while sophomore Hailey Huntington (Wallingford, Conn./Lyman Hall) has chipped in five goals and an assist for 11 points, while starting just three of the 16 matches she has played.

Thursday marks the 17^th meeting all-time between these two programs, the fourth in postseason play and third in the NE-10 Tournament. Franklin Pierce holds a 14-1-1 advantage in the all-time series, including 2-0-1 mark in the postseason - 1-0-1 in the NE-10 Tournament. The Ravens are 6-0-1 all-time against Southern Connecticut at home, including a 2-0-1 clip on Sodexo Field.

Tomorrow marks the first postseason encounter between the two since Franklin Pierce survived a 4-3 penalty kick shutout in the quarterfinal round of the 2005 NE-10 Tournament after the two sides played to a 1-1 double-overtime draw on Sodexo Field. Southern Connecticut had earned an early lead that day with a Natalie Polnick goal in the fourth minute, before All-American Alex Scavo netted the equalizer for the Ravens 13:02 into the second half. Franklin Pierce posted a 3-2 victory over the Owls in the 2000 NE-10 Championship match as well.

Franklin Pierce notched a 3-1 victory over Southern Connecticut in the regular season meeting between the two on September 20 in New Haven. The Ravens staked out a 2-0 first half lead on goals from Cilley and Johansson. Mallico scored just 1:20 into the second half to cut the Owls deficit in half, but the Ravens sealed the win behind a 70^th minute goal from junior Mackenzie Bulych (Regina, Saskatchewan/Dr. Martin LeBoldus).

2008 Northeast-10 Conference
Women's Soccer Championships

Sunday, November 2
Quarterfinal Round
#1 Franklin Pierce 5, #8 Saint Anselm 0
#2 Saint Rose 1, #7 New Haven 0
#6 UMass Lowell 1, #3 Merrimack 0 (OT)
#4 Southern Connecticut 2, #5 Southern New Hampshire 0 

Thursday, November 6
Semifinal Round
#6 UMass Lowell (8-4-5, 6-3-5 NE-10) at #2 Saint Rose (15-3-1, 11-2-1 NE-10), 1 p.m.
#4 Southern Conn. St. (12-4-2, 9-3-2 NE-10) at #1 Franklin Pierce (14-3-1, 11-2-1 NE-10), 4 p.m.

Sunday, November 9
Championship (at highest remaining seed)
Semifinal winners, TBA