Joanna Gibson and Talita Pereira each have three-point afternoons

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RINDGE, N.H. (October 15, 2011) -- The Franklin Pierce University women's soccer team picked up its second-consecutive win over a nationally-ranked opponent on Saturday as the Ravens downed No. 25 Southern Connecticut State, 3-0, at Sodexo Field in Rindge. Franklin Pierce evened its overall record at 6-6-1 and improved to 4-6-1 in the Northeast-10, while SCSU dipped to 10-2-1 and 8-2-1 in league play.

Franklin Pierce picked up a victory in its last contest versus a ranked opponent as the Ravens downed then No. 17 Merrimack by an identical score of 3-0 back on Oct. 5 in Rindge.

Saturday's win over SCSU was significant in another way in that the Ravens struck in three goals against an Owls squad which had allowed just one goal all season in its previous 12 games. Franklin Pierce was outshot, 13-12, but the Ravens made the most of their opportunities when it counted.

Sophomore forward Talita Pereira (Sao Paulo, Brazil) got the goal scoring started in the 31st minute when she took a pass from classmate Joanna Gibson (London, England) on the left side of the box and fired a shot that beat the Southern Connecticut keeper to the lower left corner of the net for a 1-0 Franklin Pierce advantage. It was Pereira's sixth goal of the season, which moved her into a tie for the team lead in goals. Gibson was credited with an assist on the play for her first point of the season.

Pereira and Gibson swapped roles in the 43rd minute to make it 2-0 Franklin Pierce. Pereira drew a corner kick opportunity and blasted a shot towards the front of the net which Gibson was able to out-jump the SCSU defenders and head a shot into the upper right corner of the net for her first tally of the season.

The Owls tried to pick up the offensive intensity in the early stages of the second half, but every time they had a scoring chance, Franklin Pierce goalkeeper Jocelyn Leon (Lenox, Mass.) would slam the door shut with a strong save. Leon made five saves for the game to run her record to 6-6-1 on the season. It was her fourth shutout of the season and her second-consecutive shutout win versus SCSU. Leon stopped three shots in last season's 1-0 triumph over the Owls in New Haven.

Leon made back-to-back saves midway through the second half with Franklin Pierce clinging to a 2-0 lead. Jenna Mallico fired a low shot which Leon got a hand on to swat away, but LeAnn DiSisto followed with a rebound attempt as she drove past the Franklin Pierce defenders. DiSisto's opportunity was denied by Leon as she was able to deflect away the shot while getting back up off the ground.

Senior midfielder Tori Gikas (Sydney, Australia) put the game away in the 89th minute as she took a stretch pass from Julie Foster (Dennis, Mass.) and lofted a long shot over the charging SCSU goalkeeper into the back of the net for her fifth goal of the campaign. Foster was credited with an assist on the play.

Franklin Pierce returns to action Tuesday when the Ravens travel to Easton, Mass. to take on Stonehill at 3:30 p.m.

For more information on Franklin Pierce women's soccer, please visit the team's page at athletics.franklinpierce.edu(.) To follow the program even further, please visit Franklin Pierce Athletics on YouTube (www.youtube.com/FranklinPierceSports), Twitter (www.twitter.com/FPUathletics) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/FranklinPierceAthletics).