Men’s Soccer Home For Pair Of Northeast-10 Contests This Week

Ravens host No. 22 Massachusetts Lowell Wednesday, New Haven Saturday

Match 7 - Sept. 16, 2009
Rindge, N.H.
Massachusetts Lowell (2-1-0, 1-0-0 NE-10) at
Franklin Pierce (3-2-1, 1-1-0 NE-10)
7 p.m. - Sodexo Field
Listen Live

Match 8 - Sept. 19, 2009
Rindge, N.H.
New Haven (1-3-0, 0-3-0 NE-10) at
Franklin Pierce (3-2-1, 1-1-0 NE-10)
7 p.m. - Sodexo Field
Listen Live

After splitting its first two Northeast-10 Conference matches last week, the Franklin Pierce University men’s soccer team remains in conference play this week with a pair of home contests. The Ravens will host Massachusetts Lowell on Pierce Pride Night at 7 p.m. on Wednesday at Sodexo Field before entertaining New Haven at 7 p.m. on Saturday.

Both matches will be broadcast live on the Ravens Sports Network at WFPC-LP 105.3 FM and online at athletics.franklinpierce.edu. Alexis Auffray and A.J. Berube will have the call on Wednesday night, while Auffray will handle broadcast duties on Saturday.

Wednesday night’s contest is Pierce Pride Night at Sodexo Field, co-sponsored by the Department of Athletics and Residential Life. The night will feature various promotions, including a giveaway to the first 200 Franklin Pierce students in attendance, as well as a t-shirt toss, courtesy of the Sports and Recreation Club.

Franklin Pierce (3-2-1, 1-1-0 Northeast-10) split a pair of 2-0 decision last week. On Wednesday, the Ravens were shut out on the road at No. 10 Southern New Hampshire on second-half goals by Adrian Schippers and Kevin Woods. On Saturday, sophomore midfielder Paul Latif (Newcastle, England) buried a 58th-minute penalty kick and freshman forward Nicholas Schibly (Litchfield, N.H.) added an insurance marker in the 86th minute to lead Franklin Pierce past Saint Michael’s.

For Latif, the penalty was his first goal in Franklin Pierce uniform after transferring in from Dean College. For Schibly, it was his first career goal. Freshman forward Amory Houghton (Cape Elizabeth, Maine) assisted on Schibly’s goal for his first career point in his collegiate debut. Sophomore goalkeeper Vinny Papageorgiou (Wilmington, Mass.) made two saves against Saint Michael’s to notch his second shutout of the season and the ninth of his career. So far this season, at least one team has been held scoreless in five of Franklin Pierce’s six matches.

Picked to finish third in the Northeast-10, Massachusetts Lowell (2-1-0, 1-0-0 Northeast-10) has alternated wins and losses through its first three matches. Most recently, sophomore forward Stephen Potcner scored in the 30th minute and again in the 53rd minute on Saturday to lead the River Hawks to a 2-0 win over New Haven in Northeast-10 play at Cushing Field in Lowell, Mass. Senior goalkeeper Ryan Richards needed to make only one save in net to earn the shutout for Massachusetts Lowell.

On the season, Potcner leads the River Hawk offense with seven points on three goals and one assist over the first three matches. Richards has seen all the action in net and will take a 2-1-0 record with a 0.94 goals-against average and one shutout with him into Wednesday night’s clash.

Last time against Massachusetts Lowell, Rudy Koncardle scored the only goal of the game in the 77th minute on Oct. 8, 2008 as the River Hawks posted a 1-0 victory in Northeast-10 play at Cushing Field. Richards stopped both shots on his net to post the shutout.

Franklin Pierce holds a 18-4-4 record in 26 all-time meetings with Massachusetts Lowell and had been undefeated over the previous seven meetings (3-0-4) before last year’s loss to the River Hawks. Franklin Pierce’s most recent victory in the series was a 3-1 decision at Sodexo Field on Nov. 10, 2007 in the NCAA Championship New England Regional championship game. Edens Chery opened the scoring in the 14th minute for No. 12 and third-seeded Massachusetts Lowell, but David Clifton answered for No. 4 and top-seeded Franklin Pierce with goals in the 37th, 42nd and 49th minutes to lead the Ravens to the win.

Picked to finish 12th in the Northeast-10, New Haven (1-3-0, 0-3-0 Northeast-10) has dropped two in a row and three of its first four matches to open the season. Most recently, the Chargers dropped the 2-0 decision to then-No. 22 nationally ranked Massachusetts Lowell in Lowell on Saturday. New Haven will host Saint Rose on Wednesday afternoon before traveling to Rindge on Saturday night.

On the season, sophomore forward Steven Gennuso and freshman forward Roberto Novoa lead the Charger offense with two goals apiece. In front of the net, sophomore goalkeeper Jonathan Creem has played all but 9:48 for New Haven and currently holds a 1-3-0 record with a 1.50 goals-against average and one shutout.

Last time against New Haven, Adit Phataraprasit scored the only goal of the game in the 34th minute on Oct. 18, 2008 to lead Franklin Pierce to a 1-0 win over the Chargers in West Haven, Conn. in the inaugural Northeast-10 match between the two teams. Papageorgiou stopped the only shot he faced to post the shutout for the Ravens.

Franklin Pierce holds a 14-1-1 record in 16 all-time meetings against New Haven and has won each of the last five meetings. The Chargers only win in the series was a 3-1 victory in West Haven on Oct. 4, 1998. New Haven is 0-7-0 all-time in seven trips to Rindge, but has not made the trek since 2001. Prior to last season, the two schools had not played each other in men’s soccer since 2002.

After Saturday, the Ravens will play their next five matches away from home, beginning with a trip to Le Moyne on Wednesday, Sept. 23 for a Northeast-10 contest. Kickoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. at Thomas J. Niland Athletic Complex in Syracuse, N.Y.