FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Southern New Hampshire Wins Second NE10 Crown in Program History
MANCHESTER, N.H. - Junior Miranda Peloquin had a hand in a pair of goals to lead second-seeded Southern New Hampshire to its second Northeast-10 Conference title with a 2-1 victory against fourth-seeded Franklin Pierce in the Championship final Sunday afternoon at Larkin Field.
Southern New Hampshire, which earned the league's automatic qualifier into the NCAA Tournament with the win, collects its second NE10 Championship since joining the league in 2000, with the program capturing its first in 2012.
Southern New Hampshire drew first blood just 1:10 into the contest when senior Trisha Luis played the ball from the right corner toward the middle of the box, where classmate Sydney Crema touched it on to Peloquin, who buried it inside the left post to make it 1-0.
The Penmen doubled their lead just under 20 minutes later when Peloquin settled a lob across the box from Luis and unleashed a shot from a tough angle on the right. A Franklin Pierce defender made a move to try and clear the ball, but inadvertently deflected it into the top right corner of the net to increase the lead to 2-0.
Franklin Pierce stopped SNHU from running away with it, slicing its deficit in half early in the 33rd minute. Bruna Tavares attempted to send a cross from the left end line into the box, but senior goalkeeper Paige Salmon dove out toward the middle and was able to get a hand on the ball to knock it away. The ball, however, ended up on the foot of Sophie Cousineau on the right side of the box and she hit it into the near side of the net to make it 2-1.
The Ravens gave their in-state rival a small scare midway through the 42nd minute when Gabi Pereira's blast from just outside the box on the left rocketed just high and wide of the far top corner. Pereira had a similar opportunity midway through the 78th minute – the best chance for either team after halftime – but the ball sailed just over the crossbar.
The Penmen will now await the NCAA Selection Show, which airs Monday, Nov. 6 (6 p.m.) on NCAA.com, to learn their seeding for the NCAA Tournament.
2017 NE10 Women's Soccer All-Championship Team
Kallie Villemaire, Assumption
Casey Cook, Franklin Pierce
Veronica Marques, Franklin Pierce
Andrea Rego, Merrimack
Trisha Luis, Southern New Hampshire
Miranda Peloquin, Southern New Hampshire
Paige Salmon, Southern New Hampshire
Most Outstanding Player - Trisha Luis, Southern New Hampshire
2017 NE10 Women's Soccer Championship Schedule
Tuesday, October 31
Quarterfinals
Match 1: #8 Merrimack 2, #1 Adelphi 1
Match 2: #2 Southern New Hampshire 2, #7 Bentley 0
Match 3: #6 Assumption 3, #3 Saint Rose 0
Match 4: #4 Franklin Pierce 1, #5 Pace 0
Friday, November 3
Semifinals
Match 5: #4 Franklin Pierce 2, #8 Merrimack 1
Match 6: #2 SNHU 1, #6 Assumption 1, SNHU advances 5-4 on penalty kicks
Sunday, November 5
Championship
Match 7: #2 Southern New Hampshire 2, #4 Franklin Pierce 1
Additional information for this release provided by the athletic communications staff at Southern New Hampshire
ABOUT THE NE10
The NE10 is an association of 15 diverse institutions serving student-athletes across 24 NCAA Division II sports. Together we build brilliant futures by embracing the journey of every student-athlete.
Each year, 4,500 of those student-athletes compete in conference championships in 24 sports, making the NE10 the largest DII conference in the country in terms of sport sponsorship. Leading the way in the classroom, on the field and within the community, the NE10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.