HUGE Weekend of Events for Franklin Pierce Athletics

No. 20 women’s soccer in the NCAA East Regional Championship; No. 2 women’s basketball hosts home opener; Johannah Leedham on verge of becoming all-time leading scorer in NE-10 women’s hoops history; Ice hockey hosts big conference game against Stonehill; Men’s basketball looking for best start to a season in 17 years

RINDGE, N.H. (November 19, 2009) – Franklin Pierce University Athletics is getting set for a HUGE weekend of sports for the programs who are currently in-season.

It all starts this Friday when the 20th-ranked women’s soccer team travels to Loudonville, N.Y. to face No. 2 Saint Rose in the East Region Championship of the NCAA Division II Tournament. The match will begin at 11 a.m. at Siena College, and the winner of the contest will advance to the national quarterfinals on Sunday against either California (Pa.) or IUP. The winner of Sunday’s contest earns a trip to Tampa, Fla. during the first weekend in December for the NCAA Division II Final Four. A win on Friday would give Franklin Pierce its 13th regional championship in the last 14 seasons.

The women’s soccer team is led by a trio of players who have garnered several honors this past week. On Tuesday, senior midfielder Gabriela Demoner (Vitoria, Brazil) was named the 2009 Daktronics, Inc. Women’s Soccer East Region Player of the Year, while senior back Rachel Smith (Chichester, N.H.) and junior forward Angelika Johansson (Falkenberg, Sweden) joined her on the All-East Region First-Team. Also on Tuesday, Smith and Johansson were named ESPN The Magazine Second-Team Academic All-Americans for their outstanding work on the field and in the classroom.

The weekend continues on Saturday with a pair of big home events on or around the Rindge campus. The day begins with the No. 2 women’s basketball team playing host to Molloy in its 2009-10 home-opener in The Fieldhouse. The Ravens are coming off an impressive 86-51 win in their season-opener at Nyack on Tuesday night.

The game takes on added significance as senior forward/guard Johannah Leedham (Ellesmere Port, England) enters the contest needing just 21 points to become the all-time leading scorer in Northeast-10 women’s basketball history. She could break another conference record on Saturday as she needs just eight more free throws made to become the all-time leader in that category in women’s basketball history. The 2009 Women’s Division II Bulletin Preseason National Player of the Year, Leedham kicked off her senior campaign with 33 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and five steals in the win at Nyack on Tuesday.

Saturday concludes with the men’s ice hockey team playing host to Northeast-10 rival Stonehill at 7 p.m. at The Winchendon School (Mass.) Ice Rink. The Ravens opened their 2009-10 conference schedule on Tuesday night with a 4-4 tie against in-state rival Southern New Hampshire.

Franklin Pierce features a young team in 2009-10 as 23 of the 32 players on the roster are either freshmen or sophomores. Franklin Pierce, which is riding a two-game unbeaten streak heading into Thursday night’s contest with Worcester State, has produced the last two NE-10 Rookies of the Week in forwards Michael Carr (South Boston, Mass.) and Roscoe Sweeney (Falmouth, Mass.).

The men’s basketball team also has a big weekend ahead of itself. The Ravens, who have opened their season with back-to-back home wins, hit the road to compete in the Molloy Lions Classic in Rockville Center, N.Y. Franklin Pierce will face Dowling on Friday at 5:30 p.m., and then face host-school Molloy on Saturday at 4 p.m. A pair of wins this weekend would give the Ravens a 4-0 record and the program’s best start in 17 years since the 1992-93 season when they opened with a 7-0 mark on the way to a 22-8 record and an NCAA Tournament berth.

Franklin Pierce has been led by senior forward Terrell Ray (Brooklyn, N.Y.), who has posted back-to-back double-doubles this season. He tallied 22 points and 20 rebounds in Sunday’s win over Lesley and followed with 28 points and 11 boards in Wednesday night’s come-from-behind triumph against Post. Junior guard Jeff Manchester (Gorham, Maine) has also been a strong offensive force for the Ravens in the early going as he is averaging 19.5 points a game.

“Everyone associated with the Franklin Pierce athletic department takes great pride in weekends like these,” Vice President and Director of Athletics Bruce Kirsh said. “Our student- athletes and coaches have worked hard to get to these moments and I want to wish them all the best of luck.”

For more information on Franklin Pierce athletics, please visit the department’s website at athletics.franklinpierce.edu(.)