Freshman forward Trevor Torres propelled Stonehill to its first-ever victory over Franklin Pierce with his go-ahead goal in the 82nd minute today. |
Skyhawks notch first-ever men's soccer victory against Ravens
EASTON, Mass. (October 8, 2014) – Freshman forward Trevor Torres (Swansea, Massachusetts/La Salle Academy) scored the go-ahead goal in the 82nd minute as Stonehill College came back from a two-goal first half deficit to defeat Franklin Pierce University 3-2 this afternoon in Northeast-10 Conference men's soccer action at Skyhawk Field.
Less than three minutes after entering the contest as a substitute, Torres was on the receiving end of a cross from freshman back Matthew Gallo (Mendham, New Jersey/West Morris Mendham), who sent the ball into the box from the right flank. Torres got up above several Franklin Pierce defenders and headed the ball into the top right corner of the net for the first goal of his collegiate career.
Franklin Pierce opened the scoring in the 22nd minute, when junior midfielder Lorris Cortijo (Paris, France/William Carey University) found the back of the net with a shot from just outside the box to stake the visiting team to a 1-0 lead.
The Ravens took a commanding two-score lead less than three minutes later, as NE-10 Player of the Week Quincy Appah (Accra, Ghana/University of Ghana) took the ball near midfield, dribbled past one Skyhawk defender and beat Stonehill junior goalkeeper Luke Besse (Hamilton, Massachusetts) with a shot to the top right corner of the net.
The Skyhawks would get one goal back before halftime, as junior forward Drew Montano (Avon, Connecticut/Avon) netted his third goal of the season after classmate R.J. Aprile (Carmel, New York/Kennedy Catholic) poked the ball in his direction in the 44th minute to make the score 2-1 at the break.
Stonehill got the equalizer four minutes into the second half, when junior back Evan Devanny (Concord, New Hampshire/Concord) fired a curving shot from 35 yards out past Franklin Pierce freshman goalkeeper Jordan LeGuyader (Jersey, United Kingdom/Highlands College) into the upper left corner of the net.
The Skyhawks continued to apply pressure, culminating in Torres' game-winner in the 82nd minute. Stonehill outshot the Ravens 20-10 in the match, including 14-4 in the second half. The Skyhawks also held a 9-2 edge in corner kicks in the second half.
Besse made three saves for the Skyhawks, while LeGuyader turned aside eight shots for the Ravens.
Today's victory serves as Stonehill's first ever men's soccer triumph over Franklin Pierce. The Ravens held a 16-0 all-time advantage in the series entering today's match, including a 4-0 shutout in Rindge last season. Three goals are also the most Stonehill has ever scored against Franklin Pierce, with the previous high being one.
Stonehill (6-4-1, 4-3-0 NE-10) will be back in action on Saturday night, as the Skyhawks are set to travel to the University of New Haven for a 7 p.m. NE-10 contest. Franklin Pierce (5-4-1, 3-3-1 NE-10), which entered today's contest ranked eighth in this week's National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) East Region Poll, will also be on the road Saturday, as the Ravens are scheduled to visit the College of Saint Rose for a 1 p.m. matchup.
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