WALTHAM, Mass. (11/15/25) – The Franklin Pierce University men's soccer team secured the 2025 Northeast 10 Conference Championship on Saturday afternoon, defeating No. 11 Bentley on the road, 4-1. Four different Ravens found the back of the net, while Guillermo Avendano (Luanco, Spain) was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.
Score: Franklin Pierce 4, Bentley 1
Records: Franklin Pierce (12-3-3, 6-1-2), Bentley (11-2-4, 7-0-2)
Location: Waltham, Mass.
Date: November 15, 2025
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Franklin Pierce struck first inside the opening 10 minutes. James Mitchell (Auckland, New Zealand) slipped a pass through the Falcons back line to Bora Blazquez (Toledo, Spain), who settled and finished into the net for a 1-0 advantage.
- Bentley controlled much of the remaining first half and broke through just before the break. With under two minutes remaining, Antonio Santos sent a long-range strike off the crossbar and in to equalize at 1-1 heading into halftime.
- The second half belonged entirely to the Ravens. In the 58th minute, Blazquez served a corner into the box, where Jesse Oostendorp (Doetinchem, Netherlands) redirected it home to regain the lead, 2-1.
- Ten minutes later, Franklin Pierce extended its advantage. After a scramble in the box, Dani Almeida (Lisboa, Portugal) freed the ball to Joao Araujo (Madeira, Portugal), who buried the finish to make it 3-1.
- The Ravens sealed the title in the 84th minute. Almeida played a ball across the top of the box to Avendano, who calmly slotted home the final tally, securing the 4-1 victory and clinching the conference championship.
UP NEXT FOR THE RAVENS: With the win, Franklin Pierce earns the NE10's automatic bid to the 2025 NCAA Division II Men's Soccer Championship. The Ravens will learn their regional placement and opponent during Monday's NCAA Selection Show at 7:00 p.m. on NCAA.com.
