Sophomore forward Nathalia Maria da Silva put home a 32nd-minute penalty kick, but it was not enough for the Franklin Pierce University women’s soccer team on Saturday afternoon at Jess Dow Field. The Ravens would fall 2-1 in Northeast-10 Conference play at Southern Connecticut State, as SCSU senior forward Deanna Ryan broke a 1-1 tie in the 57th minute, with the eventual game-winning goal.
With the loss, Franklin Pierce falls to 3-2-1 (1-2-1 Northeast-10), while Southern Connecticut State improves to 3-4-1 (3-2-0 Northeast-10).
The two teams traded first-half goals on Saturday afternoon in the Elm City. SCSU opened the scoring in the 19th minute, when senior midfielder Kieran DeBiase put her first goal of the season into the left side of the net. Just under 13 minutes later, in the 32nd minute, da Silva salted away her second goal of the season on a penalty kick.
The Owls would find the game-winning goal in the 57th minute. Senior forward Christine Allard set up Ryan for the latter’s first goal of the campaign.
Junior Casey Cook finished with eight saves against 10 shots on goal and suffered the loss (3-2-1) in net for Franklin Pierce.
The Ravens return to the field on Wednesday, when they return home to host New Haven in a Northeast-10 contest. Opening kickoff is set for 4 p.m. at Sodexo Field in Rindge.