Daniel Donaldson ties it with :25 left in regulation; Tyler
Rosa wins it a little more than a minute into double overtime
RINDGE, N.H. (September 13,
2011) – The ninth-ranked Franklin Pierce University
men's soccer team pulled off, yet, another come-from-behind
victory Tuesday night as the Ravens picked up a 2-1 double-overtime
win against UMass-Lowell at Sodexo Field in Rindge. The Ravens ran
their record to 4-0 overall and 1-0 in the Northeast-10, while the
River Hawks dipped to 1-3 and 1-1 in league play.
Three of Franklin Pierce's
four wins this season have been the come-from-behind variety,
including a 4-1 triumph in the season-opener against Bloomfield and
last week's 3-2 triumph over Bridgeport.
Tuesday's contest featured
the heroics of graduate back Daniel Donaldson
(Moenchengladbach, Germany) and junior back Tyler
Rosa (Rehoboth, Mass.). Both players scored on header
attempts with Donaldson's tying the match and Rosa's
lifting the Ravens to victory in the extra session. Both goals came
in dramatic fashion.
After playing to a scoreless first
half, both teams came out firing early in the second half and
UMass-Lowell eventually took a 1-0 lead in the frame's first
minute off a goal from Daniel Galvin.
The goal ignited Franklin Pierce as
the Ravens responded by firing off eight shots over the next
several minutes. However, UMass-Lowell goalkeeper Chris Maierle
denied the Ravens on each one of those attempts.
The River Hawks settled into a nice
defensive system for a majority of the remainder of the half and
looked to have the win nailed down as the contest entered the final
minute of regulation.
As the final seconds ticked away,
Franklin Pierce gained possession of the ball and moved everyone up
into the box for one final attempt at tying the match and sending
it to overtime. After a scramble at the top of the box, junior back
Marc Santos (East Hartford, Conn.) gathered the
loose ball, dribbled to the right side of the goal and sent a
crossing pass to the front of the net which Donaldson was able to
get his head on to send the ball into the back of the net to knot
the score a 1-1 with only :25 left. It was Donaldson's first
goal in a Ravens uniform and Santos' first point of the
season.
The crowd exploded and that
emotional lift would carry the Ravens in the extra sessions. Each
team had a quality scoring chance in the first overtime, but
neither side could convert.
The teams came out for the second
overtime, but it would only last a little more than a minute as
Rosa headed in a crossing pass off a corner kick attempt from
junior midfielder Paul Latif (Newcastle, England)
to send the Ravens to victory. It was Rosa's first marker of
the season and Latif's first helper on the campaign.
Rosa has become accustomed to
heading in big goals at the most opportune times. The strike marked
Rosa's first goal since Sept. 19 of last season when in
overtime he headed in a corner kick attempt to lift Franklin Pierce
to a 1-0 win over New Haven.
Senior goalkeeper Vinny
Papageorgiou (Wilmington, Mass.) made seven saves in the
contest to earn the win and improve to 4-0 on the season.
Franklin Pierce outshot
UMass-Lowell by a count of 14-13, including getting four shots from
Latif and three from senior midfielder Diego Tabares
(Seekonk, Mass.).
The Ravens return to action
Saturday when they travel to Manchester to take on No. 4-nationally
ranked Southern New Hampshire at 7 p.m. It marks the first road
game of the 2011 season for Franklin Pierce. The Ravens return home
to Sodexo Field next Tuesday when they take on No. 25 Dowling in a
rematch of last season's NCAA Division II quarterfinal.
For more information on Franklin
Pierce men's soccer, please visit the team's page at
athletics.franklinpierce.edu(.) To follow the program even further,
please visit Franklin Pierce Athletics on YouTube (www.youtube.com/FranklinPierceSports),
Twitter (www.twitter.com/FPUathletics)
and Facebook (www.facebook.com/FranklinPierceAthletics).