Ravens reach NCAA Quarterfinal for
first time since 1995, travel to No. 4 Dowling College next
weekend
NEW HAVEN, Conn. (November
14, 2004) - Second-seeded Franklin Pierce advanced to the
NCAA Division II Quarterfinals for the first time since 1995 with a
3-1 penalty shootout decision over top-seeded and No. 3-ranked
Southern Connecticut State University in the NCAA Division II New
England Regional Championship match at Jess Dow Field this
afternoon.
After 110 minutes of soccer failed
to produce a winner in a match which ended as a 2-2 draw, Franklin
Pierce freshman goalkeeper James Thorpe (East
Longmeadow, Mass./Bridgton Academy) stopped the first
three Southern Connecticut penalty kick attempts and grad student
Simon Walker (Jarrow, England) sealed it
on the Ravens fourth attempt.
Franklin Pierce (16-5-2) advances to
next weekend's quarterfinal round, and will travel to No. 4-ranked
Dowling College either Saturday or Sunday (Time TBA). Dowling
reached the quarterfinals with a 4-0 victory over Lock Haven
University today as well. Southern Connecticut sees its season come
to an end with a 15-1-4 overall record.
"It's always hard to play so hard
for 110 minutes and then have the outcome decided by penalty
kicks," said Southern Head Coach Tom
Lang. "I thought we played well and had some good
chances, but when you get to penalty kicks, some days you come out
ahead and some days your opponent
does."
Thorpe, who was named the Most
Outstanding Defensive Player at the Regional, had his record
scoreless minute streak halted at 578:52 with the Owls first goal
in the 40th minute, but preserved the draw with five
stops, including one game-saving stop in the first overtime.
Southern held a narrow 14-13 advantage in shots for the match with
both teams placing seven shots on target.
"James has shown that he is one of
the top goalkeepers around," said Franklin Pierce Head Coach Marco
Koolman. "Today he had to make some saves for us and is showing
good consistency. He proved himself in the penalty kicks today."
Grad student Christopher
Joyce (Jarrow, England) netted both Franklin Pierce
goals and was named the regional's Most Outstanding Offensive
Player, scoring four of the Ravens five markers over the weekend.
Joining Joyce and Thorpe on the All-Tournament team from Franklin
Pierce were grad student Craig Stewart (Newcastle Upon
Tyne, England), senior Troy McColl
(Sydney, Australia) and freshman Michel
Vitulano (Montreal, Quebec/College de Maisonneuve).
"Joyce stepped it up for us this
weekend," said Koolman. "Over the last couple of weeks he has
started to get more comfortable with the guys around him and is
getting used to the
system."
Joyce gave the Ravens an early lead
for the second-straight match, this time taking a feed from Stewart
before breaking in for a shot from 15-yards out past the diving
effort of Southern freshman goalkeeper Tim Doheny
(Wayne, N.J./Wayne Valley).
"One of our keys was to come out
fast and put the pressure on them," said Koolman. "I told the team
before the match it was necessary to come out and create
opportunities to score."
The Owls equalized in the
40th minute when senior Usiel Vazquez
(Yonkers, N.Y./Herkimer County CC) sent in a cross
from the left side that was headed by freshman
Christian Kebeya (West Montreal, Quebec)
to classmate Michael Semedo (Waterbury, Conn./Holy
Cross) who ripped a shot into the net.
Joyce gave the Ravens another lead
just 42-seconds before the intermission as senior Kyle
Miller (Newburgh, N.Y./Newburgh Free Academy) fed him
with a pass into the middle. Joyce slipped past Doheny before
firing a shot that was nearly deflected off the line by a Southern
defender, but was ruled to have crossed the line.
Southern knotted the match again in
the 70th minute as senior Mateus dos Anjos
(Astoria, N.Y./Rockland CC) tipped in a loose ball
after a corner kick.
Joyce nearly gave the Ravens the
lead again with a third goal as he broke in one-on-one with Doheny
in the 75th minute, but the Owl goalkeeper made a great
save on a drilled shot from the left side.
"This is something we have been
shooting for," said Koolman. "We have finally got the right
personnel and chemistry to get the job done. The guys felt all
along they deserved to be here. It just proves that it isn't just
one or two games, but the whole season that matters for selection
and now we are just trying to take full advantage of the
opportunity at hand."
MATCH
STATISTICS
