NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. (October 18, 2017) – The Franklin Pierce University men's soccer team controlled the pace of the game and outshot the no. 9 nationally-ranked Merrimack College Warriors, but the hosts' shutout the Ravens 1-0 Wednesday evening in Northeast-10 Conference action at Martone-Mejail Field. With the win, the Warriors jump to 12-1-1 overall and remain undefeated in league play at 9-0-1 while the Crimson and Grey drop to 6-4-2 and 4-4-2 NE10.

Mattia Lanzi netted the only score of the contest in the 32nd minute. The goal was his second of the campaign. Lucas Rezende stopped three shots in the duel and moved to 12-1-1 while Raven netminder Jadel Poon-Lewis (Diego Martin, Trinidad and Tobago) made three saves as well in the setback.

Three minutes into the contest Merrimack had the first real chance of the game. A player forced a turnover at midfield which led to a one-on-one chance for Lars Sund. Sund drove from the left side and ripped a shot that was turned away by Poon-Lewis.

The Raven's first scoring opportunity came in the 12th minute as Noam Kolakofsky (Liman, Israel) had his shot attempt blocked by a Warrior player as the ball went out of bounds. Teammate Hamish Cadigan (Christchurch, New Zealand) strolled to the corner and lofted a kick into the back right of the box that was eventually cleared out by Merrimack.

Midway through the first half Franklin Pierce had a few more chances to crack the deadlock, but Merrimack's Lucas Rezende made one save and two other Raven shots were blocked by the Warrior backline.

Following a host foul, Cadigan was set up for a free kick from the 25 yard line. The team captain kicked the ball into the box and Jordan Barnett (Grimsby, England) headed the ball towards the cage, but his header attempt hit the crossbar and bounced out of play.

Merrimack finally scored on a miscommunication between Poon-Lewis and one of his backs as the ball found the foot of Lanzi who chipped the ball from 25 yards out into the open net to break the tie.

In the 37th minute, Pierce forced a turnover and freshman midfielder Joel Peterson (Christchurch, New Zealand) pushed the ball down the right side. Rezende played the ball aggressively and Peterson knew it as he smoked a low shot that just barely veered past the left goalpost and out of the end line.

Franklin Pierce held the edge in shots during the first stanza as the Ravens outshot the Warriors by an 8-2 clip.

Early in the second half, Kolakofsky almost tied the score as he had an open look just four minutes in. The sophomore midfielder stroked a shot that was blocked by a Warrior player and cleared out of the zone that ended the threat to tie.

The Ravens had one more opportunity to tie with five minutes to go, but the through ball that was struck had too much speed on it as the rock went out of the backline. The Warriors eventually hung on for the slim 1-0 victory.

The Ravens return to Sodexo Field for a NE10 showdown on Saturday against no. 14 Adelphi University at 4:00 p.m.

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).