The Franklin Pierce University men’s soccer team season ended on Friday evening at the hands of the no. 7 nationally-ranked Adelphi University Panthers by a 2-0 score in the Northeast-10 conference Semifinals at Motamed Field.
The no. 4 seeded Ravens wrap up the season at 12-5 overall and hope to receive an “at-large bid” into the NCAA Division II Men’s Soccer Championship Tournament at 6:30 p.m. on Monday night.
Adelphi scored 1:39 into the contest as John Stojcevski racked up his first goal of the season by hooking up with teammate Federico de Oliveira who kicked the rock to Stojcevski from 35 yards out into the left slot and the defender knocked it home for the Panther score.
In one of the lone Raven chances during the first stanza, Hamish Cadigan lofted a corner kick into the box that teammate Jordan Barnett headed to Marius Preber. Preber rifled a shot from the left side of the net that was blocked by a Panther defender and was cleared out of harm’s way.
The guests were outshot by a 17-2 margin in the first half with All-Rookie Team goalkeeper Jadel Poon-Lewis making five saves before the intermission.
The Panthers offensive onslaught continued in the second half as Poon-Lewis was peppered with shots throughout the frame. James Thristino added insurance for Adelphi three minutes after the half began as he drove the right flank, stopped, wound up his leg and ripped a shot inside the 19 into the right corner of the cage past a diving Poon-Lewis to put Adelphi up 2-0.
Poon-Lewis stopped a career-high nine shots in the setback.