Terence Ciavarra logs team-high four shots for the Ravens

RINDGE, N.H. (October 23, 2012) – The Franklin Pierce University men's soccer team yielded a pair of second-half goals in dropping a 2-0 decision to Bentley on Tuesday night at Sodexo Field in Rindge. 

With the outcome, both teams moved to 9-4-2 overall and 7-3-2 in the Northeast-10. Bentley now has the inside track on Franklin Pierce for the fourth seed in the upcoming NE-10 playoffs, which would enable the Falcons to host a quarterfinal match between the two teams next Tuesday in Waltham, Mass. Both Bentley and Franklin Pierce (23 points apiece, but Bentley owns the tiebreaker with the head-to-head win) each have one game remaining in the regular season to determine who gets fourth and fifth seeds respectively. The regular season finale for both will happen on Saturday. Several scenarios still remain for which team will receive which spot in the playoffs.

Franklin Pierce held a 9-4 edge in shots in the first half, but neither side could put home a goal as it was scoreless at the intermission.

All that changed, though, in the 60^th minute when Bentley was awarded a penalty kick off a hand ball foul called in the box against Franklin Pierce. Brennan DaCosta stepped up to take the opportunity for the Falcons and slipped a shot into the lower left corner of the net for his team-leading seventh goal of the campaign and a 1-0 Bentley lead.

The Falcons put the match out of reach in the 74^th minute when Justin Cirasola pouned on a loose ball near the top of the box, took one dribble and fed a shot through traffic which just eluded Franklin Pierce goalkeeper Jake Wright (Los Angeles, Calif.) into the same corner of the net where DaCosta's PK struck home moments earlier.

The Ravens tried to mount a rally late in the match and did fire off 11 shots in the second half alone, but they could not find the back of the net. Franklin Pierce ended the match with a 20-8 advantage in shots, but could only put five on goal.

Alex Pilitsis stopped all five of those shots to earn the shutout victory and run his record to 9-4-2 on the year. Bentley managed to put four of its eight shots on goal as Wright made a pair of stops despite suffering the setback to fall to 9-4-2 as well.

Franklin Pierce returns to action Saturday when the Ravens close out the regular season by playing host to Le Moyne at 1 p.m. on Sodexo Field in Rindge. 

For more information on Franklin Pierce men's soccer, please visit the team's page at athletics.franklinpierce.edu(.) To follow the programs even further, please visit Franklin Pierce Athletics on YouTube (www.youtube.com/FranklinPierceSports), Twitter (www.twitter.com/FPUathletics) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/FranklinPierceRavens). Fans wishing to purchase Franklin Pierce men's soccer apparel can do so on the athletic department's brand new online store at athletics.franklinpierce.edu/store(.)