Franklin Pierce Nips UMass Lowell on OT, 2-1

McDermott Claims First Jeff Burstein Award with Gamewinning Score

RINDGE, N.H. (October 3, 2001) - Junior forward David McDermott (Merseyside, England/Saint Mary's) netted the gamewinning goal 6:55 into overtime to lift Franklin Pierce to a 2-1 victory over the University of Massachusetts Lowell, ranked No. 5 in this week's New England Regional poll, in Northeast-10 Conference men's soccer action at Crystal Field this afternoon.

For his efforts, McDermott claimed the first Jeff Burstein Award signifying the most outstanding player of the match in the annual Franklin Pierce-UMass Lowell men's soccer match. The award is given in memory the 1998 Walter Peterson Male Student-Athlete of the Year at Franklin Pierce and former assistant coach at UML.

Burstein perished on July 25th in a fatal automobile accident near his hometown of Beachwood, N.J. He was a four-year letterwinner on the Franklin Pierce men's soccer and baseball teams, serving captain of both squads as a senior.

Upon graduation from the College in 1998, Burstein went on to serve as an assistant coach on the men's and women's soccer and baseball teams at UMass Lowell for two years. He had recently moved back to his hometown with wife Kerri (a former volleyball player and head coach at Franklin Pierce) where he was teaching and coaching baseball at his former high school.

McDermott's goal came as a result of a volley into the penalty area by senior midfielder Dan D'Angelo (Ringwood, N.J./Don Bosco Prep).

After the two sides played through a scoreless first half, Franklin Pierce broke through with an unassisted goal from senior Ernest Olius (Hillside, N.J./Essex CC) at 57:45. Olius took on several defenders on a counter-attack before sending in a shot at point blank range.

UMass Lowell knotted the match at 76:43 as freshman Jonathan Curran headed in the ball after Franklin Pierce sophomore goalkeeperDominico Roma (Windsor, Ontario/Ste. Annes) failed to clear the ball with a punchout.

Roma finished the match with five saves, while UMass Lowell freshman Dan Ballacqua recorded four stops.

The match was evenly played as each both clubs totaled 11 shots.

Franklin Pierce (6-3, 3-3 NE-10) returns to action on Saturday afternoon it travels to Springfield, Mass., for a Conference match with American International College at 1 p.m. UMass Lowell (6-3, 4-3 NE-10) hosts the College of Saint Rose on Saturday at 1 p.m.

Scoring Summary:
FP: Ernest Olius (unassisted), 57:45; UML: Jonathan Curran (unassisted), 76:43; FP: David McDermott (Dan D'Angelo), 96:55.

Goalkeepers:
UML: Dan Ballacqua (96:55) 4; FP: Dominico Roma (96:55) 5.

Shots:
UML: 11, FP: 11.