2004 NCAA DIVISION II NEW ENGLAND REGIONAL FINAL Franklin Pierce Tips #3 Southern Connecticut State in PK’s
Ravens reach NCAA Quarterfinal for first time since 1995, travel to No. 4 Dowling College next weekend
NEW HAVEN, Conn. (November 14, 2004) - Second-seeded Franklin Pierce advanced to the NCAA Division II Quarterfinals for the first time since 1995 with a 3-1 penalty shootout decision over top-seeded and No. 3-ranked Southern Connecticut State University in the NCAA Division II New England Regional Championship match at Jess Dow Field this afternoon.
After 110 minutes of soccer failed to produce a winner in a match which ended as a 2-2 draw, Franklin Pierce freshman goalkeeper James Thorpe (East Longmeadow, Mass./Bridgton Academy) stopped the first three Southern Connecticut penalty kick attempts and grad student Simon Walker (Jarrow, England) sealed it on the Ravens fourth attempt.
Franklin Pierce (16-5-2) advances to next weekend's quarterfinal round, and will travel to No. 4-ranked Dowling College either Saturday or Sunday (Time TBA). Dowling reached the quarterfinals with a 4-0 victory over Lock Haven University today as well. Southern Connecticut sees its season come to an end with a 15-1-4 overall record.
"It's always hard to play so hard for 110 minutes and then have the outcome decided by penalty kicks," said Southern Head Coach Tom Lang. "I thought we played well and had some good chances, but when you get to penalty kicks, some days you come out ahead and some days your opponent does."
Thorpe, who was named the Most Outstanding Defensive Player at the Regional, had his record scoreless minute streak halted at 578:52 with the Owls first goal in the 40th minute, but preserved the draw with five stops, including one game-saving stop in the first overtime. Southern held a narrow 14-13 advantage in shots for the match with both teams placing seven shots on target.
"James has shown that he is one of the top goalkeepers around," said Franklin Pierce Head Coach Marco Koolman. "Today he had to make some saves for us and is showing good consistency. He proved himself in the penalty kicks today."
Grad student Christopher Joyce (Jarrow, England) netted both Franklin Pierce goals and was named the regional's Most Outstanding Offensive Player, scoring four of the Ravens five markers over the weekend. Joining Joyce and Thorpe on the All-Tournament team from Franklin Pierce were grad student Craig Stewart (Newcastle Upon Tyne, England), senior Troy McColl (Sydney, Australia) and freshman Michel Vitulano (Montreal, Quebec/College de Maisonneuve).
"Joyce stepped it up for us this weekend," said Koolman. "Over the last couple of weeks he has started to get more comfortable with the guys around him and is getting used to the system."
Joyce gave the Ravens an early lead for the second-straight match, this time taking a feed from Stewart before breaking in for a shot from 15-yards out past the diving effort of Southern freshman goalkeeper Tim Doheny (Wayne, N.J./Wayne Valley).
"One of our keys was to come out fast and put the pressure on them," said Koolman. "I told the team before the match it was necessary to come out and create opportunities to score."
The Owls equalized in the 40th minute when senior Usiel Vazquez (Yonkers, N.Y./Herkimer County CC) sent in a cross from the left side that was headed by freshman Christian Kebeya (West Montreal, Quebec) to classmate Michael Semedo (Waterbury, Conn./Holy Cross) who ripped a shot into the net.
Joyce gave the Ravens another lead just 42-seconds before the intermission as senior Kyle Miller (Newburgh, N.Y./Newburgh Free Academy) fed him with a pass into the middle. Joyce slipped past Doheny before firing a shot that was nearly deflected off the line by a Southern defender, but was ruled to have crossed the line.
Southern knotted the match again in the 70th minute as senior Mateus dos Anjos (Astoria, N.Y./Rockland CC) tipped in a loose ball after a corner kick.
Joyce nearly gave the Ravens the lead again with a third goal as he broke in one-on-one with Doheny in the 75th minute, but the Owl goalkeeper made a great save on a drilled shot from the left side.
"This is something we have been shooting for," said Koolman. "We have finally got the right personnel and chemistry to get the job done. The guys felt all along they deserved to be here. It just proves that it isn't just one or two games, but the whole season that matters for selection and now we are just trying to take full advantage of the opportunity at hand."