No. 15 Women’s Soccer Plays to 1-1 Draw at Bridgeport in Regular Season Finale
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Franklin Pierce (13-2-2) | 0 | 1 | 1 |
|
Bridgeport (11-3-4) | 0 | 1 | 1 |
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (October 26, 2022) -- The No. 15 nationally-ranked Franklin Pierce University women's soccer team finished out its regular season with a 1-1 tie on the road at Bridgeport on Wednesday night. Junior Aino Martikainen (Järvenpää, Finland) had the 71st-minute equalizer for the Ravens in the non-conference contest at Knights Field.
With the draw, Franklin Pierce moves to 13-2-2, while Bridgeport now stands at 11-3-4.
The first half had a lot of back-and-forth action, as both the Ravens and Purple Knights had great opportunities to notch the first score. Most of the chances ended with deflections from either side's defensive backs or goalkeepers. Both sides matched each other with eight shots and four corners in the first half.
The second half looked like a repeat of the first until the 64th minute, when Bridgeport junior Samantha St. Pierre crossed the ball into the box for fellow junior Leigh-Ann Ramsey. Ramsey struck the ball off the post and in, past the dive of Ravens sophomore goalkeeper Emilie Fox (Bridgewater, Mass.), for her ninth of the season. The goal snapped the shutout streak of both Fox and Franklin Pierce at 465:53.
Just over seven minutes later, in the 71st minute, the Ravens charged their way forward as sophomore Makenzie Shean (Agawam, Mass.) dropped the ball just on the edge of the 18-yard box for Martikainen, who lifted the ball over the head of sophomore goalkeeper Clara Karlsson to equalize. It was Martikainen's fifth goal of the season, and her third in the last four games. The final minutes of the second half were a stalemate, with both sides vying for possession and shots until the final whistle blew, with the game still level at 1-1.
Fox (9-1-2) notched three saves against four shots on goal in front of the Franklin Pierce net. Karlsson (11-0-4) had four saves against five shots on goal for Bridgeport.
The Ravens, who are the co-regular season champions of the Northeast-10 Conference, are back home on Sunday, as the second seed in the quarterfinal round of the NE10 Championship. Opening kickoff against seventh-seeded Assumption is set for 1 p.m. at Sodexo Field.