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Men’s Soccer Continues to Roll, Routs Saint Michael’s, 4-0

Franklin Pierce University men's soccer
Photo credit: Trevor Guay.

RINDGE, N.H. (October 15, 2019) -- Winning continues to be the norm in October for the Franklin Pierce University men's soccer team. Facing Northeast-10 Conference opponent Saint Michael's on a chilly night at Sodexo Field on Tuesday, the Ravens' offense continued to fire away en route to their 4-0 win.

With the victory the Ravens extend their winning streak to four games and improve to 8-2-1. (6-1-0 NE10). With the loss, the Purple Knights fall to 3-6-2 and remain winless in conference play, dropping to 0-5-2

It took three minutes for the Ravens to get the match's first prime opportunity. Graduate student forward Stefan Lohberger (Schoellnach, Germany) ripped a shot from close range, testing junior keeper Leland Gazo early. Gazo would make a handful of saves early as the Ravens pressed; eventually it would be Lohberger who would break through.

Marc Forner, the reigning NE10 Player of the Week, managed to set up Lohberger in the box in the 27th minute. The latter made no mistake, burying his ninth goal of the season, which is good for team lead and second in the NE10.

It would continue to be all Franklin Pierce, as junior back Carlos Ferrando Felis (Tavernes de la Valldigna, Spain) potted his second goal of the season off a nice feed from fellow junior back Cristobal Andreu (Castellon de la Plana, Spain). The 33rd-minute strike doubled the Ravens' lead and ultimately put the game out of reach for the Purple Knights.

The Ravens outshot the Purple Knights 15-2 in the first half and did not allow a single shot on goal.

The Ravens would continue their dominance into the second half, and did not allow the Purple Knights any chance of a comeback. The Ravens owned the offensive of the field, firing 11 more shots in the stanza and forcing Gazo to make five more saves. The Purple Knights' keeper did all he could, but a goal from sophomore midfielder Betim Balidemaj (Derby, Conn.) would see Gazo beaten a third time. Balidemaj launched a shot from roughly 20 yards out that Gazo was unable to catch. The ball went off his hands, over the top his head, and into the back of the goal for Balidemaj's first of the season. The 77th-minute marker staked the Ravens lead to 3-0 and Gazo would later give way to freshman keeper Tommy Coil in the 82nd minute.

Coil would play the final 8:23 of the match and was greeted almost instantly with a goal. Junior forward Yannik Felber (Vallendar, Germany) played a ball through and right onto the foot of graduate student forward Javier Gonzalez Carraminana (Madrid, Spain) for the latter's first of the season. Coil stood no chance on the close range shot as the Ravens forged ahead 4-0 in the 83rd minute. It would be the only shot he would face on the night.

Meanwhile on the other side it was a quiet night for senior keeper Jadel Poon-Lewis (Diego Martin, Trinidad and Tobago) who needed to make only one save to earn the win (4-0-0) and shutout, the 15th of his career. The Purple Knights were outshot 26-3 by the Ravens, who landed 12 shots on goal. Gazo played 81 minutes and took the loss in goal (0-4-1) after an eight-save outing.

The Ravens will look to extend their winning streak to five games when they hit the road against Bentley on Saturday, Oct. 19. Match time against the Falcons is set for 1 p.m. in Waltham, Mass.

For more information on Franklin Pierce Athletics, please visit the official website of Franklin Pierce Athletics (http://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 apparel can do so at the Department of Athletics' online store (https://shopfpuravens.com). You can also follow the men's soccer team on Twitter (https://twitter.com/fpumsoccer), Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/fpumsoccer/) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/fpumsoccer/).