Article by Department of Athletics Student-Staff Writer Rich Rosa

RINDGE, N.H. (9/1/2023) -- It was a bright and sunny afternoon at Sodexo Field as the No. 12 nationally ranked Franklin Pierce women's soccer team kicked off their 2023 campaign with a 1-1 draw against the Mercy Mavericks.

The Ravens controlled the pace of the first half as they were in the offensive zone for the first 20 to 25 minutes, but they could not score. In the 24th minute, the Mavericks scored the game's first goal on a free kick. Senior midfielder Jennifer Silva sent the ball into the box, and sophomore midfielder Maleah Tarin headed the ball past Ravens goalkeeper Emile Fox (Bridgewater, MA) as she attempted to poke the ball away from the danger zone. Tarin picked up her first career goal as a member of the Mercy Mavericks.

In the second half, the Mavericks picked up right where they left off by getting scoring chances to extend their lead. The game became physical, and the Mavericks received multiple yellow cards. In the 83rd minute, a yellow card cost Mercy as junior defender Amber Garcia knocked down freshman midfielder Jenni Huttunen (Suomi, Finland) from behind in the penalty area, which resulted in a penalty kick for the Ravens. Huttunen capitalized on the penalty kick for her first career goal to tie the game at one. Franklin Pierce is no stranger to scoring goals in the late stages of a game, as it was a common theme last season.

After Huttunen scored the equalizer, the Ravens had multiple opportunities to take the lead, but Anaya stood tall in net for the Mavericks to keep the game tied. In the 88th minute, Franklin Pierce had their best chance to take the lead on a three-on-one break when junior forward Erin Keyt (Melbourne, Australia) found a wide-open Hailey Goodman (Blackstone, MA) on the left side of the field, but her shot rolled past the right side of the post.

The Ravens outshot the Mavericks 16-4. Anaya made six saves for the Mavericks, and Fox made one save.

The Franklin Pierce Ravens are back in action on Sunday, September 3, when they host Queens College in a non-conference contest at 3 p.m. at Sodexo Field.