Franklin Pierce & To Meet in NE10 Championship
MANSFIELD, Mass. – Top seed Franklin Pierce trailed 1-0 for over 50 minutes on Tuesday evening but came back to draw even before earning the overtime victory against No. 4 SNHU in the opening game of NE10 Semifinals. In the nightcap, second seed AIC held off a pesky Saint Rose squad 1-0 to advance to the NE10 Championship.
The Ravens will host the Yellow Jackets for the Northeast-10 Championship on Saturday evening at 6 p.m. Franklin Pierce is making their first NE10 Title appearance since 2011 when they won their third NE10 Championship with a 1-0 victory over SNHU. AIC, meanwhile, is making its first-ever NE10 Championship appearances after reaching the NE10 Semifinals in 2019 and 2018.
No. 1 Franklin Pierce 2, No. 4 Southern New Hampshire 1 (OT) – FPU Recap – Box Score
RINDGE, N.H. - It looked bleak for the top seed Franklin Pierce as the Ravens were down a goal and with just 13:13 to play, Braudilio Rodrigues sailed a penalty kick over the top of the goal. However, the freshman redeemed himself as he found the 84th-minute equalizer and the 96th-minute game-winner, as the top-seeded Ravens stunned fourth-seeded Southern New Hampshire, 2-1 (OT).
With the win, Franklin Pierce improves to 18-1-0. The Ravens dominated the possession battle throughout, to the tune of advantages of 18-3 in shot attempts, 7-1 in shots on goal and 9-1 in corner kicks. Junior Kosta Maniatis was beaten on the only shot on his goal, but picked up the win (15-1-0) anyway for Franklin Pierce. Jackson Rivers (9-4-0) stopped five of seven shots at the other end for SNHU.
The only goal on the board for much of the afternoon was a 28th-minute strike off a corner kick for the visiting Penmen. In the 84th minute, with just 6:21 to play Carlos Ferrando Felis laid the ball off for Rodrigues who scored from 25 yards out. The late equalizer sent the game to overtime, where Rodrigues delivered again, early in the 96th minute.
No. 2 American International 1 , No. 3 Saint Rose 0 - Box Score
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. - The scored was knotted 0-0 midway through the second half, but second seeded American International finaly broke though in the 64th minute and that proved to be the game-winner as the Yellow Jackets advanced to their first NE10 Championship with a 1-0 victory over No. 3 seed Saint Rose.
Following a scoreless first half, AIC took a 1-0 lead on a beautiful goal in the 64th minute. Frans Dao sent in a cross from the near sideline and Salim Yussif lept up to head the ball into the back of the net for the one-goal advantage. Saint Rose's best chance to even the score came in the final three minutes as the Yellow Jackets were whistled for a foul in the box. Victor Henriksen took the penalty kick, but Ioannis Iatroudis was able to get in front of the ball and make the save to preserve the lead.
Saint Rose actually finished with an 11-10 shot advantage in the contest though AIC head more corner kicks (1-0). Iatroudis made seven big saves in net to secure the victory while Tomas Rozman stopped one shot in the loss.
Saturday, November 6th
Quarterfinals – at Higher Seeds
Match 1: #1 Franklin Pierce 5, #8 Southern Connecticut 0
Match 2: #2 American International 3, #7 New Haven 2
Match 3: #3 Saint Rose 3, #6 Le Moyne 2 (2OT)
Match 4: #4 Southern New Hampshire 1, #5 Adelphi 0
Wednesday, November 10th
Semifinals - at Higher Seeds
Match 5: #1 Franklin Pierce 2, #4 Southern New Hampshire 1 (OT)
Match 6: #2 American International 1, #3 Saint Rose 0
Saturday, November 13th
Championship – at Highest Seed
Match 7: #2 American International at #1 Franklin Pierce - 6 PM
ABOUT THE NE10
The NE10 is an association of 14 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.
