Tia Levins nets game-winner for Ravens

Box Score

RINDGE, N.H. (September 19, 2009) – Sophomore midfielder Kimberly Jaksina (Townsend, Mass.) scored two goals on Saturday afternoon to lead the Franklin Pierce University field hockey team to a 4-1 victory over American International in Northeast-10 Conference play at Sodexo Field. Sophomore forward Amanda McLean scored the lone goal of the game for American International.

With the win, Franklin Pierce improves to 3-5 (1-1 Northeast-10), while American International falls to 2-6 (1-2 Northeast-10) with the loss.

The Ravens wasted no time opening the scoring, as Jaksina broke the ice with her second goal of the season just 3:31 into the contest. She took the ball in the left side of the circle off a corner, dribbled clear of her defender and unleashed a backhand shot which found its way behind AIC sophomore goalkeeper Kim Steiner.

Just less than 14 minutes later, the Yellow Jackets would tie the game 1-1 on the fourth goal of the season by McLean. She found herself behind the defense with only Franklin Pierce sophomore goalkeeper Brittany Nyzio (Attleboro, Mass.) to beat. McLean faked left and went right around Nyzio before slipping the ball into the empty cage.

From there, it was all Ravens, as Franklin Pierce took the lead with 8:56 to play in first half and never looked back. Sophomore forward Tia Levins (Manchester, Maine) made a run with the ball down the left wing and attempted to send a pass into the middle of the circle. However, the ball tipped off the AIC defense and found the back of the cage to give Levins her third goal in the last two games.

In all, the first half featured plenty of back-and-forth play, as Franklin Pierce came away with an 8-6 sedge in shots. American International was awarded six of the first half's eight penalty corners.

Franklin Pierce extended the lead to 3-1 just past the 13-minute mark of the second half. Jaksina scored her second of the game from the left side of the circle after freshman midfielder Alyssa Juszczyk (Warren, Mass.) fished the ball out of a scrum out in front of the cage. For Juszczyk, the assist marked the first point of her collegiate career.

The Ravens capped the scoring with just over 20 minutes remaining to create the 4-1 final. Senior forward Ashley Abernethy (Bellingham, Mass.) had the ball with some space along the endline to the right of the cage. She sent a pass out front, which junior forward Ashley Moirano (Vero Beach, Fla.) redirected into the upper-left corner of the net for her second goal of the season.

Franklin Pierce held a 7-5 edge in shots in the second half to take a 15-11 advantage over the course of the game. The Ravens offense generated five penalty corners in the second half as each team finished with seven.

Nyzio stopped four of five shots on her cage to pick up the win (2-4) between the pipes for Franklin Pierce. Steiner made five saves against nine shots and took the loss (2-6) in net for American International.

The Ravens return to the field on Tuesday, Sept. 22, when they host Saint Michael's in a non-conference contest. Game time is set for 4 p.m. at Sodexo Field.