FPU Soccer falls in NE-10 semi-final
by Eben Gourlay
(Photo: Eben Gourlay)
The FPU Men’s soccer team had home field advantage for the NE-10 semi-final against the Saint Rose Golden Knights on Wednesday, Nov. 13th. The freezing air mixed with the wind made for a crisp night at Sodexo Field. Despite the weather, Ravens fans were scattered across both sidelines, many of them bundled up in blankets and scarves to cheer their team on. As the game was ready to start, cheers and faint claps from winter gloves filled the air.
The game got off to a quiet start. However, the first half was controlled by the Ravens. Saint Rose only took 5 total shots in the first half, with all of them coming in a span of less than 6 minutes. In the games first 30 minutes, Saint Rose had just 1 shot on goal to Franklin Pierce’s 5. At the 34 minute mark, the Ravens took a 1-0 lead on a one timer by grad student Javier Garcia Barras, assisted by junior Antonio Ferreira. The goal was his 5th of the season.
Following the goal, Saint Rose committed what seemed to be a penalty out of frustration, receiving a yellow card. Franklin Pierce retaliated, as junior defensemen Cristobal Andreu was given a yellow card of his own, leading to the crowd roaring. The rest of the first half was filled with uncalled penalties and pleads to the refs by both teams. Franklin Pierce finished the first half with 16 shots to Saint Rose’s 5.
Less than 6 minutes into the 2nd half, Saint Rose tied the game at 1 off of a goal by sophomore Filippo Bellu. The Golden Knight bench went crazy while the home crowd was silent. After a rough first half, Saint Rose had found life. Franklin Pierce spent much more of the 2nd half on the defensive end than they did in the 1st. However, the rest of the half was pretty quiet for both teams, with Franklin Pierce taking 8 shots to Saint Rose’s 6. The game was tied at 1 at the end of regulation.
“Numb” by Linkin Park came on before overtime began, which also represented how cold everyone was. In overtime, Saint Rose took the first two shots, both missing but coming close enough to scare Franklin Pierce. For the rest of the overtime, the Ravens didn’t allow any more shots. Unfortunately, they only took 1 of their own, which was missed wide. At the end of the first OT, the score remained 1-1. In the 2nd OT, there was a noticeable fatigue from both sides. Defense led the way, as neither team took a single shot. After 110 minutes of gameplay, it all came down to a shootout.
Team captain Niklas Laudahn led off for FPU with a goal that made the remaining crowd erupt. For the first time since the middle of the 1st half, the Ravens scored, but Saint Rose answered quickly with a goal of their own. The teams went back and forth, each team scoring on their first 4 kicks. On the 5th kick for Franklin Pierce, forward Antonio Ferreira missed wide, hitting the left post. Saint Rose scored on the following kick, sending them to the NE-10 championship. As the fans left the field and Saint Rose celebrated the upset victory, Ravens players hugged each other at midfield in disappointment.
