RINDGE, N.H. (October 5, 2019) – It took until the final quarter-hour for the Franklin Pierce University women's soccer team to break through on Saturday night, but once it did, the goals came like water out of a faucet. Goals in the 77^th and 83^rd minutes erased a 2-0 Bentley lead, while a 97^th-minute tally by freshman midfielder Tess McKenzie (Warren, R.I.) capped the rally and gave Franklin Pierce a 3-2, overtime win over visiting Bentley in Northeast-10 Conference play. Junior midfielder Marissa Burns scored twice in the first half for Bentley.

With the win, Franklin Pierce improves to 4-4-1 (3-3-0 NE10), while Bentley falls to 3-5-1 (2-4-0 NE10).

The game was a high-flying affair throughout, as the two sides combined for 29 shot attempts and 18 shots on goal. Franklin Pierce held advantages across the board statistically on the night: 19-10 in shot attempts, 13-5 in shots on goal and 9-3 in corner kicks.

Still, it was Bentley which struck for the only two goals of the first half. In just the ninth minute, Burns was left with an easy finish for her second goal of the season, after junior forward Emma Guccione did the heavy lifting. Guccione carried down the right wing and found a lane to slip a low cross into the middle of the box. Burns was on the other end of the feed and buried the shot into the left side of the net for her second goal of the season.

Burns completed her double in the 27^th minute to push the lead to 2-0. Freshman midfielder Liliana Silva had the initial shot on the play, which was turned aside by Franklin Pierce sophomore goalkeeper Casey Kane (Millis, Mass.). The rebound came to Burns in front of the left post though, and she quickly put it home.

It took Franklin Pierce all the way into the 77^th minute to take its first step down the comeback trail, courtesy of a free kick from 20 yards in front of the left post. Senior midfielder Gabi Pereira (Belo Horizonte, Brazil) took the free kick and drilled it into the left side of the net for her team-leading sixth goal of the season.

Just 7:23 later, in the 84^th minute, the Ravens struck for the equalizer. Senior forward Sophie Cousineau (Milton, Mass.) looked to play the ball into the goalmouth from the left side, but had the ball knocked down by the defense. The ricochet came straight to sophomore midfielder Jessica Magerman (Bellingham, Mass.) however, and she was able to level the score at 2-2 with her third goal of the campaign.

While Magerman's goal sent the game to overtime, it would be a somewhat unlikely hero who provided the golden goal for the Ravens in the overtime period. On the left side, senior forward Veronica Marques (Sao Paulo, Brazil) slipped a through ball into the penalty area which found McKenzie with plenty of room to work with. Playing in just her fifth collegiate game, McKenzie rifled a shot inside the left post and past Bentley junior goalkeeper Kat Hassapis to notch her first career goal and send the Ravens spilling off the bench in celebration of the victory.

Kane (3-2-1) finished with three saves against five shots on goal to pick up the win in the Franklin Pierce net. Hassapis (3-4-1) stopped nine of 12 shots at the other end of the field and suffered the loss for Bentley.

The Ravens return to the field on Tuesday, Oct. 8, when they remain home to host Saint Anselm in an NE10 contest. Game time is set for 7 p.m. at Sodexo Field.

For more information on Franklin Pierce Athletics, please visit the official website of Franklin Pierce Athletics (https://www.fpuravens.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' brand new online store (https://www.shopfpuravens.com).