Demoner notches goal and two
assists as top-seeded Ravens top No. 15 Saint Rose, 3-1
RINDGE, N.H. (November 5,
2006) - Top-seeded Franklin Pierce, ranked sixth in this
week's National Soccer Coaches Association of America
(NSCAA)/adidas Division II women's soccer poll, captured its
11th New England regional title with a 3-1 victory over
second-seeded and No. 15-ranked College of Saint Rose in second
round action of the 2006 NCAA Division II Women's Soccer
Championships at Sodexho Field this afternoon.
Franklin Pierce (18-2-1) advances
to the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Tournament and will travel to
No. 2 West Chester (Pa.) University (22-0) next Saturday at noon.
West Chester captured its second-straight Northeast Regional crown
with a 4-1 victory over No. 16 Indiana University of Pennsylvania
this afternoon. Saturday will mark a rematch of last year's
national quarterfinal, which the Ravens won 2-1 at Sodexho Field to
earn their 13th Final Four berth over the last 14 years.
Saint Rose, the Northeast-10 Conference regular season champions,
sees its season come to a close at 17-3-1.
Junior midfielder Gabriela
Demoner (Curitiba, Brazil), who did not play in Franklin
Pierce's 4-0 loss at Saint Rose back on August 31, played a role in
all three Raven markers this afternoon with a goal and two assists.
Junior goalkeeper Jenna Mello (Londonderry,
N.H./Londonderry) preserved the win with two saves.
Franklin Pierce appeared to end the
drama of the match early, scoring a pair of goals in the opening
10:14 of the match. Demoner connected with freshman
Mackenzie Bulych (Regina, Saskatchewan/Dr. Martin
LeBoldus) with a pass from the right side. Bulych turned
and fired a shot from the top center of the 18 that caromed off the
crossbar, but bounced off the back of Saint Rose junior goalkeeper
Lauren Steinberg (Hopewell Junction, N.Y./John
Jay) and into the goal 8:16 into the match.
"I was great to get a goal early
and take a lead on them," said Bulych. "It was a relief."
The Ravens were then awarded a
penalty kick when Demoner was tripped by a Saint Rose defender
while cutting across the penalty area. She calmly slotted the
penalty into the right side of the net at 10:14.
"It was a great start for us," said
Franklin Pierce Head Coach Jeff Bailey. "The first
20 minutes was excellent with two early goals and then for some
reason we fell apart and let them right back in
it."
Saint Rose regained its composure
and got back in the match when freshman Jordan Bowers
(Colorado Springs, Colo./Doherty) poked a loose ball into
the left side of the net when Mello couldn't corral a free kick
from the left side at 25:29.
The Golden Knights nearly equalized
in the 39th minute when junior Alyssa Walbrecht
(Norwich, N.Y./Unadilla Valley) hit the cross bar with a
drive from 25-yards out. The rebound dropped in front of classmate
Lindsay Bove (Holliston, Mass./Holliston), but
Mello charged off her line to smother the shot.
While Saint Rose controlled play
over the last 20-minutes of the first half, Franklin Pierce enjoyed
the run of play after halftime. Freshman Shona
Franklin (Leicester, England) entered the match in
the 50th minute and almost immediately made an impact.
She broke in one-on-one with Steinberg, but the Saint Rose keeper
charged off her line well to make the save.
"The second half we had to keep
fighting," said Bailey. "We had the opportunity there to put it
away again, but left them in the game and it's always
difficult."
Mello was well positioned for a
catch save on a Deanna Wachtel (Altamont,
N.Y./Guilderland) header off a free kick in the
65th minute, which proved to be the Golden Knights best
chance the rest of the way. The Ravens iced the match with an
important insurance goal in the 72nd minute when senior
back Alex Scavo (Toronto, Ontario/Brother Andre)
headed in a Demoner corner kick from the top of the six and into
the left side of the goal.
Steinberg finished with two saves
for Saint Rose, who were out-shot 8-7 (5-2 in the second half).
Franklin Pierce, appearing the the
NCAA Tournament for a record 15th-straight year will be
gunning for their 14th Final Four appearance next
weekend. The Ravens are now 38-0-2 all-time at home in postseason
play, including a 23-0-1 mark in the NCAA Tournament.
"It's definitely a positive for
us," said Scavo on playing at home. "We have the confidence to go
through, so I think it's a big advantage.
MATCH
STATISTICS & PLAY-BY-PLAY
