Trainor adds assist

RINDGE, N.H. (November 4, 2014) – Freshman forward Carly Canavan (Kingston, N.Y.) scored twice in a span of 31 seconds on Tuesday night to tally the game's only goals, as the Franklin Pierce University field hockey team put away No. 10 nationally ranked Saint Michael's, 2-0, in Northeast-10 Conference play at Sodexo Field. Freshman goalkeeper Meaghan Williams (Salem, N.H.) stopped all three shots on her cage to notch the shutout.

With the win, Franklin Pierce improves to 8-7 (5-3 Northeast-10) and has won six of its last seven, while Saint Michael's falls to 8-7 (4-4 Northeast-10). It is the second time in three weeks Franklin Pierce has knocked off a nationally ranked opponent.

With three games to play in the regular season, Franklin Pierce has placed itself squarely in the postseason discussion in the Northeast-10. When all is said and done in the Conference on Tuesday night, the Ravens will sit no worse than tied for fifth. The top six finishers qualify for the Northeast-10 Championship. Franklin Pierce has two games remaining against teams in direct competition for postseason berths, as the Ravens host Assumption (5-2 Northeast-10) on Friday and host Adelphi (5-2) on Nov. 15.

Again on Tuesday, the Ravens controlled the run of play for the majority of the afternoon's proceedings. Franklin Pierce earned nine corners to six for Saint Michael's, en route to advantages of 13-7 in shot attempts and 9-3 in shots on goal. Despite Franklin Pierce holding Saint Michael's to zero shots on goal in the first half, while generating five of its own, the Ravens were unable to break through in the opening 35 minutes.

The Ravens broke the ice in the 45th minute, immediately after their attack appeared to break down on the right side. Saint Michael's was able to clear the ball well outside the circle on the right-wing side, where junior midfielder Erin Trainor (Auburn, Mass.) ran it down some 40 yards from goal. Trainor turned and drove the ball hard back in the direction of the cage. Her teammates were alert on the play and two of them had a chance to get their sticks on the drive inside the circle, as Canavan and senior forward Courtney Kelly (Plymouth, N.H.) made their way into the ball's path. The latter proved to be a redundancy on the play, as Canavan was able to redirect the ball near the top of the circle on the right side and beat Saint Michael's senior goalkeeper Jackie Chisholm. For Canavan, it was her team-leading ninth goal of the season.

Play had barely started back up before Canavan completed her double, as she scored again just 31 seconds later, in the 46th minute. This time, the Saint Michael's defense was caught scrambling in front of its own cage. Chisholm came out to challenge a would-be cross, but the ball was deflected before it got to its intended target. This left Chisholm out of position as a scramble ensued out front. Canavan was able to get her stick to the ball and push it to the backboard to double the lead to 2-0.

It was the third multiple-goal game for Canavan in her freshman season, as well as her second in a row. She now has five goals in the last three games and nine goals in the last six games. Canavan's second goal on Tuesday afternoon made her just the sixth player in program history to tally 10 or more goals in a season, as well as the first freshman to do so. In fact, she is the first Raven to notch a 10-goal season prior to her junior campaign.

Williams notched her second shutout of the season by making three saves to pick up the win (8-7) for Franklin Pierce. Chisholm tallied seven saves and suffered the loss (5-3) in front of the cage for Saint Michael's.

The Ravens return to the field on Friday, Nov. 7, when they remain home to host Assumption in a Northeast-10 Conference contest. Game time is set for 4 p.m. at Sodexo Field.

For more information on Franklin Pierce Athletics, please visit the official website of Franklin Pierce Athletics (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu). Also be sure to follow the Ravens through the Department of Athletics' official Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/FranklinPierceRavens), its YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/franklinpiercesports) and its Twitter feed (http://twitter.com/FPUathletics). Fans wishing to purchase Franklin Pierce field hockey apparel can do so at the Department of Athletics' online store (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu/store).