Civan draws foul leading to penalty kick

RINDGE, N.H. (October 19, 2013) – Junior midfielder Caroline Savasta (Salem, Mass.) scored the game's lone goal on a 57th-minute penalty kick on Saturday afternoon as the Franklin Pierce University women's soccer team picked up a 1-0 victory over Le Moyne in Northeast-10 Conference play at Sodexo Field. The win was the second in a row for a Ravens squad trying to fight its way into a top-four finish in the Northeast-10 over the season's final weeks.

With the win, Franklin Pierce improves to 6-5-3 (5-4-2 Northeast-10), while Le Moyne falls to 4-7-2 (2-6-2 Northeast-10).

Le Moyne controlled much of the run of play in the first half, to the tune of an 8-3 advantage in shot attempts, but could not find the net. Offense in general was lacking in the first half, as the Dolphins put only two shot attempts on frame, and the Ravens managed only one shot on goal.

After the first 56 minutes went without a goal, freshman forward Yasmin Civan (Antalya, Turkey) had the ball on the left-wing side of the box and a possible path to the net. She was rushed by a Le Moyne back who made no play on the ball, but made physical contact, knocking Civan to the ground. The referee awarded a penalty kick, much to the chagrin of the Le Moyne fans in attendance. Savasta took the attempt for the Ravens and put her second goal of the season into the right side of the net.

After the goal, the game again went a long stretch without any serious scoring chances, as neither team threatened much over the following 20 minutes. Franklin Pierce locked the game down over the final 10 minutes and nearly found an insurance marker on several occasions before finishing off the 1-0 victory. The Ravens held advantages of 12-2 in shot attempts and 7-2 in shots on goal while turning the tide of the game in the second half.

Sophomore goalkeeper Katie Weldon (Manchester, N.H.) stopped all four shots on her goal to pick up her third clean sheet of the season and earn the win (6-5-2) for Franklin Pierce. Sophomore Kayla Werthmann made seven saves in front of the Le Moyne net, but suffered the loss (2-6-0) anyway.

The Ravens return to the field on Saturday, Oct. 26, when they travel to Pace for a Northeast-10 Conference contest. Game time is set for 3:30 p.m. at Pace Field in Briarcliff, N.Y.

For more information on Franklin Pierce Athletics, please visit the official website of Franklin Pierce Athletics (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu). Also be sure to follow the Ravens through the Department of Athletics' official Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/FranklinPierceRavens), its YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/franklinpiercesports) and its Twitter feed (http://twitter.com/FPUathletics). Fans wishing to purchase Franklin Pierce women's soccer apparel can do so at the Department of Athletics' online store (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu/store).