Women's Soccer Fights to 2-2 Draw vs. Franklin Pierce Wednesday Night
Women's Soccer Fights to 2-2 Draw vs. Franklin Pierce
Links: Box Score
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – A winner could not be decided after 110 minutes as the Merrimack College women's soccer team and Franklin Pierce University played to a 2-2 draw.
The Basics
Score: Merrimack 2 | Franklin Pierce 2
Records: Merrimack (3-0-1, 1-0-1 NE-10) | Franklin Pierce (2-1-1, 0-1-1 NE-10)
Location: Martone-Mejail Field | North Andover, Mass.
How It Happened
The momentum of the game shifted throughout, as the Warriors and Ravens each controlled different portions of the contest.
The first thirty minutes belonged to the Warriors, maintaining the majority of the possession in their attacking third.
In the sixteenth minute Merrimack was awarded a free kick. Center back Heather Hastbacka (Weston, Fla.) sent in a shot off the crossbar and then a failed clear by a Raven defender sent the ball right to Jenna Savi (Dedham, Mass.). The junior forward ripped a shot from 12 yards out to give the Warriors a 1-0 lead.
The lead would not last as in the 37th minute Kaycee Pereira scored her second of the season to make it 1-1. That score would hold through halftime.
The Ravens took the pace of play to the Warriors in the second half. Franklin Pierce would outshoot Merrimack 9-1 in the final 45 minutes, but that did not prevent the Warriors from taking their lead back.
In the 59th minute Sarah Boucher (Northbridge, Mass.) was taken down inside the box, resulting in a penalty kick for the Navy and Gold. Savi stepped up and pocketed the shot for the Warriors, giving them a 2-1 lead.
The Ravens would not go away. Less than four minutes, later Franklin Pierce's Fernanda Marques scored her first goal of the season to tie the game 2-2.
After that goal, head coach Gabe Mejail pulled Meghan Gulbrandsen (Haverhill, Mass.) for the first time all year. Freshman Molly Meehan (Fairfield, Conn.) subbed in for Gulbrandsen, making her collegiate debut.
Meehan would come up big for the Warriors as she was forced to make four saves and did not concede a goal in the 48:23 that she played.
In the overtime sessions, the Navy and Gold regained control of play, but were unable to score a game-winning goal, as they had done against Dowling College in the season opener. Merrimack outshot Franklin Pierce 5-3 in overtime.
Inside The Numbers
- Gulbrandsen ended up making eight stops while she was in net, but giving up two costly goals paved the way for Meehan to make her debut
- Savi is now second on the team in goals (2) and points (7).
- Franklin Pierce was not afraid to send balls towards the goal. The Ravens outshot the Warriors 24-12 and forward Talita Pereira took 11 shots of her own.
Up Next
Merrimack will hit the road for the first time this season on Saturday when they play Pace at 3:30 p.m.
--
For continuing coverage of Merrimack College Athletics, visit MerrimackAthletics.com and follow the Warriors on Twitter and on Facebook.
