Ravens advance to record
11th-straight Final Four, will face Nebraska-Omaha
GARDEN CITY,N.Y. (November
24, 2002) - Franklin Pierce, ranked No. 4 in the latest
National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA)/adidas
Division II poll, advanced to its record 11th-straight NCAA Women's
Soccer Final Four with a 2-1 victory over No. 10 Adelphi University
at Stiles Field this afternoon.
Franklin Pierce (18-0-2) will face
No. 3 University of Nebraska-Omaha in an NCAA semifinal on Friday,
December 6, in Virginia Beach, Va. Nebraska-Omaha advanced to the
Final Four with a 1-0 victory over No. 1-ranked Northern Kentucky
University on Saturday. Adelphi wraps up its 2002 season with a
17-2-2 record.
The Ravens got the match-winning
goal after Adelphi had squandered a pair of chances to go ahead.
Senior Angela Verdoes (Katwijk Aan Zee,
Holland) lofted a shot from the right flank 22-yards
out that found the upper left corner of the net at the 67:41-mark.
"Getting that goal is just a
relief," said Verdoes. "I saw the goalie coming out and I had
noticed that she didn't come off the ground for balls so I just
tried to go high far post and it went in."
The goal came moments after Adelphi
sophomore Josephine Coiro missed a wide-open chance off the left
side of the net in the 64th minute. The Panthers nearly knotted the
match for a second time in the 85th minute, but junior Domonique
Riccardo pulled a shot in the 18-yard box wide right. The Panthers
also missed on a pair of crossing passes in front of the net.
Franklin Pierce took an early lead
when sophomore Martta Makila (Vantaa,
Finland) headed in a cross at the far post from
seniorAndrea Caesar (Visby, Sweden) off a
direct kick just 4:52 into the match.
"Once we capitalized first I
thought we should have taken advantage of some other opportunities
and didn't," said Franklin Pierce head coach, Jeff
Bailey. "But to their credit, we just couldn't seem
to get into their 30-yard area."
Adelphi equalized at the 29:14 mark
when a corner kick from Coiro was knocked into the goal by
sophomore Dina Cali (Valley Stream, N.Y./VS North) at the goal
line.
The Panthers posted a narrow 6-5
advantage in shots for the match, which was dominated by midfield
play. Ravens junior goalkeeper Aase Kibsgaard (Korgen,
Norway) did not register a save in the match, while
Adelphi junior Andrea Fasano made one stop.
"Nobody wants to be the ones that
don't go," said Bailey of the pressure behind returning to an
11th-straight Final Four. "I'm especially proud and happy for the
seniors."
Franklin Pierce 2, Adelphi
1
Franklin Pierce (18-0-2)
| 1
| 1
| -
| 2
|
Adelphi (17-2-2)
| 1
| 0
| -
| 1
|
Scoring
Summary: FP: Martta Makila (Andrea Caesar), 4:52; AU: Dina
Cali (Josephine Cairo), 29:14; FP: Angela Verdoes (unassisted),
67:41.
Goalkeepers: FP: Aase Kibsgaard (90:00), no saves;
AU: Andrea Fasano (90:00), one save.
Shots: FP: 5; AU: 6.