Nov. 24, 2002

Box Score

Garden City, N.Y. - Franklin Pierce College Ravens topped the Adelphi University Panthers, 2-1, in the NCAA Division II NCAA Championship Quarterfinals today at Stiles Field. The Ravens (18-0-2) now advance to their record 11th straight NCAA Final Four appearance which will be held at the Virginia Beach Sportsplex on December 6. The Panthers finish their season, 17-2-2.

"The team was disappointed," said head coach Rich Ilsley. "We had some good opportunities. It took us awhile to settle in, but once the mystique wore off, we realized we could play with them. The team should be very proud of all of their accomplishments this year, including today's game."

The Ravens got on board early in the first half as senior defender Andrea Caesar (Visby, Sweden) hit a cross to sophomore defender Martta Makila (Vantaa, Finland) who headed the ball into the net in the 5th minute of play. The Panthers tied the score, 1-1, in the 30th minutes as sophomore defender Dina Cali (Valley Stream, N.Y.) slipped in a corner kick from sophomore forward Josephine Coiro.

Both teams battled back and forth in the second half. Franklin Pierce's senior forward Angela Verdoes (Katwijk Aan Zee, Holland) picked up the second goal for Franklin Pierce and the ultimate game-winner in the 68th minute on a shot from about 20 yards out that went high into the left corner past Adelphi keeper Andrea Fasano (Syosset, N.Y.).

In an evenly matched game, Adelphi outshot Franklin Pierce, 8-5, while the Ravens held a 5-3 advantage in corner kicks over the Panthers. Fasano had one save in the contest, while junior goalie Aase Kibsgaard (Korgen, Norway) gave up one goal and had no saves for Franklin Pierce.

Adelphi all-time series record against Franklin Pierce is now 0-2, with both meetings coming in the NCAA Quarterfinals. In their last meeting in 1997, the Ravens topped Adelphi, 2-1, in four overtimes in an epic NCAA Quarterfinal match en route to a fourth-straight National Title in 1997. Adelphi finished the season with an 18-2 record and set a school record for victories and the longest win streak during the year.

Franklin Pierce will face Nebraska-Omaha (20-0) in the semifinals on Friday, December 6. The finals are scheduled for Sunday, December 8, at 3:00 p.m.