Marques Piles up Five Points as Women’s Soccer Rolls Against Le Moyne, 4-1
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Le Moyne (2-2-0, 0-2-0 NE10) | 0 | 1 | 1 |
|
Franklin Pierce (3-0-0, 2-0-0 NE10) | 2 | 2 | 4 |
RINDGE, N.H. (September 12, 2018) – Junior forward Veronica Marques (Sao Paulo, Brazil) popped home a pair of goals in the first 20 minutes and later added a second-half assist to pile up five points on Wednesday night, as the Franklin Pierce University women's soccer team put away Le Moyne, 4-1. The Ravens were dominant in the Northeast-10 Conference contest to cap their season-opening three-game homestand.
With the win, Franklin Pierce improves to 3-0-0 (2-0-0 NE10), while Le Moyne falls to 2-2-0 (0-2-0 NE10).
Much like Saturday night's NE10 opener, the scoresheet was once again lopsided on Wednesday. Franklin Pierce rang up an advantage of 20-5 in shot attempts in the game, which included a 12-3 margin in shots on goal. The Ravens also earned five corner kicks, to just one for the Dolphins.
Marques and the Ravens wasted no time getting things started under the lights on Wednesday night. In the 10th minute, senior midfielder Nathalia Maria da Silva (Sao Paulo, Brazil) slipped a pass from the left-wing side into the middle of the penalty area for Marques. The latter was left with a one-on-one situation with the goalkeeper and easily finished to put away her third goal of the season.
Marques followed up less than 10 minutes later, in the 20th minute, with her fourth goal of the season. This time, junior forward Sophie Cousineau (Milton, Mass.) provided the setup, as she took the ball towards the goal along the end line on the left-wing side. She was eventually able to find a lane and put a pass to Marques, who put her finish inside the right post to make it 2-0. For Marques – who has scored in all three Franklin Pierce games thus far – it marked her second career multiple-goal game, as she also scored twice against Saint Michael's last season, on Oct. 25.
On the other side of halftime, Le Moyne had a chance to cut the lead in half. Amid some harried action inside the penalty area in the 52nd minute, the ball actually wound up in the back of the net. However, the goal was disallowed, as a Le Moyne player was whistled for a handball in the buildup of the play.
In the very next minute, the 53rd, Franklin Pierce pushed the lead out to 3-0 and put the game on ice, as Marques picked up an assist to cap her five-point night. At the top of the penalty area, Marques touched the ball off to the left side for senior forward Bruna Tavares (Belo Horizonte, Brazil). The pass set up Tavares with a shooting lane, and she put her shot inside the right post to tally her first goal of the season.
The game went without further scoring for the next half-hour, before the two sides traded goals in the final five minutes. In the 87th minute, sophomore forward Caitlin Ryan (Hull, Mass.) wound up with the ball at her feet at the top of the box after the Le Moyne back line turned it over. She took one touch and buried her shot to score her first collegiate goal.
Le Moyne would get on the board in the final minute, with just 36 seconds to play, to create the 4-1 final. Freshman back Vittoria Fuduli took a free kick from 25 yards out on the left-wing side and put her service in front of the right post, at the top of the six-yard box. Freshman midfielder Lainey Foti was there and able to provide the finish for her first career goal.
It marked the first goal allowed in 2018 by Franklin Pierce, which opened the season with a shutout streak of 269:24.
Freshman goalkeeper Casey Kane (Millis, Mass.) narrowly missed her third straight shutout, but did finish with two saves against three shots on goal to pick up the win (3-0-0). For Le Moyne, senior Anastasija Cumika (2-2-0) stopped eight of the 12 shots on her goal in a losing effort.
The Ravens return to the field on Saturday, Sept. 15, when they travel to American International for an NE10 contest. Game time is set for 5 p.m. at Abdow Field in Springfield, Massachusetts.
For more information on Franklin Pierce Athletics, please visit the official website of Franklin Pierce Athletics (https://www.fpuraves.com). 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 soccer apparel can do so at the Department of Athletics' online store (https://www.fpuravens.com/store).
