Men’s Soccer Stymied by No. 1 SNHU, 3-0

Men’s Soccer Stymied by No. 1 SNHU, 3-0

Ravens host AIC on Sunday

Ravens Men's Soccer RINDGE, N.H. (September 17, 2014) – Junior back Dominic Samuel put home the only goal No. 1 nationally ranked Southern New Hampshire would need in the 14th minute on Wednesday night, as the Franklin Pierce University men's soccer team suffered a 3-0 defeat in the Northeast-10 Conference opener for both sides at Sodexo Field. SNHU, the defending national champion, is now unbeaten in its last 27 games, dating to its 2013 season opener.

With the loss, Franklin Pierce falls to 2-2-0 (0-1-0 Northeast-10), while Southern New Hampshire improves to 4-0-0 (0-0-0 Northeast-10). The Penmen are unbeaten in their last 16 Northeast-10 regular season games, and 22 straight against Conference opposition when including the last two Northeast-10 postseason titles.

In what was chippy game throughout, as the two teams combined for 24 fouls and four yellow cards, Samuel struck for his second goal of the young season in the 14th minute to score the eventual game-winner. Junior back Jonathan Lupinelli served up the corner kick from the left-wing side and Samuel got his head to the ball above the crowd in the goalmouth. His header went beyond the reach of Franklin Pierce freshman goalkeeper Jordan LeGuyader (Jersey, United Kingdom) and inside the right post to open the scoring.

The game would remain 1-0 over the next hour-plus, until SNHU added insurance markers in the 80th and 83rd minutes to create the 3-0 final. In the 80th, senior midfielder Keegan Campbell worked the ball to graduate student midfielder Sofiane Tergou just outside the top of the penalty area in the middle of the field. Tergou had just enough space to unload and wired a shot to the upper-right corner for his second goal of the season.

In the 83rd, SNHU's initial push towards the goal was turned aside, as senior forward Kenny Doublette came up empty. He would pick up a helper, however, as junior forward Jose Seoane followed up on the play and salted away the rebound for his team-leading fifth goal of the campaign.

LeGuyader finished with three saves against six shot on his net and took the loss (2-1-0) for Franklin Pierce. Graduate student goalkeeper Dom DiMaggio stopped the only two shots on his goal to pick up the win (4-0-0) and his second shutout in four games to start the season.

The Ravens return to the field on Sunday, Sept. 21, when they remain home to host American International in a Northeast-10 Conference game, the final contest of a four-game homestand. Kickoff is set for 1 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 men's soccer apparel can do so at the Department of Athletics' online store (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu/store).