ERIE, Pa. (December 4, 2019) – Two weeks ago, the no. 18 nationally-ranked Franklin Pierce University men's soccer program defeated no. 8 ranked Wilmington (Del.) University 1-0 in the NCAA Championship Super Region 1 – Second Round. Thursday, the crimson and grey's march to a second national championship continues as they battle no. 9 seeded Post University on the campus of Gannon University with kick-off slated for 10:00 a.m.

Pierce is coming off the 1-0 shutout, their first NCAA Tournament win since 2011 (Saint Thomas Aquinas College – Second Round). This is the Ravens' first-ever appearance in the Third Round as the NCAA reorganized the regional bracket into the Super Region format starting this year.

Franklin Pierce makes its 20th appearance in the NCAA Division II Tournament. Overall, FPU is 16-18-1 in the NCAA Tournament, however that mark is 13-8-3 since 2005. They fair a lot better at home (10-3-2) than on the road (1-10-1) and on neutral sites (5-5-1) in the tournament. Franklin Pierce has never met Post in the NCAA Tournament. Pierce is still in search of their second Division II National Championship, a feat they last accomplished in 2007.

For Post, this marks the second consecutive year, both by automatic bids, that they have appeared in the NCAA Tournament and it marks the fourth time in program history that the Eagles have made the big dance. Overall, they are 2-3-0 in the NCAA Tournament with both victories coming this year.

SCOUTING THE RAVENS

The Ravens earned an at-large bid and the no. 4 seed in the Super Region 1 after finishing head coach Ruben Resendes first year as coach with a 14-3-2, 10-2-0 NE10 record including an undefeated 10-0-1 on their home pitch.

FPU finished the month of September 4-1-1 before falling to Le Moyne College 2-0 on the road. They responded with their first four game-winning streak of the season scoring 14 goals and allowing only one over that stretch. They then lost to Bentley University 2-1, their first setback to the Falcons since 2013, but they responded claiming the next five matches (15 goals for, two goals against) including a dominant upset against no. 2 nationally-ranked Adelphi University and a 5-1 drubbing of Bentley in the NE10 Quarterfinal Round. FPU tied the College of Saint Rose in the NE10 Semifinal round and lost in the shootout 5-4 ending their run in the conference tournament. They then went on to defeat the offensive juggernaut #8 Wilmington (Del.) Wildcats 1-0 in the NCAA Second Round to reach the Third Round of the tournament.

Pierce has one of the most dominant defensive units in the nation, led by 2019 NCAA Division II Conference Commissioner's Association (D2CAA) All-East Region First Team and Northeast-10 Conference Defensive Player of the Year Carlos Ferrando Felis (Tavernes de la Valldigna, Spain). They have 10 shutout victories on the season and have allowed only 12 goals all year with seven coming in conference play. They have allowed an average of (0.62) goals per game which ranks them sixth in Division II out of 212 programs.

On offense, graduate student Stefan Lohberger (Schoellnach, Germany) an All-Conference First Team, member, who ranks tied for third in the conference in shots (60), tied for fourth in goals (9), tied for sixth in points (20) and sixth in shots on goal (26) leads the Ravens. He also comes in at 10th in all of NCAA Division II in shots per game (4.00). Also on the offensive side, D2CAA All-East Region Second Team member and All-NE10 First Team honoree, team captain Niklas Laudahn (Olfen, Germany) contributes for the crimson and grey with one goal and he has racked up a new personal-high in assists (5) while tying his single-season career-best in points (7). Antonio Ferreira (Madrid, Spain) has picked up the pace in recent weeks for FPU as he scored the game-winning goal against Wilmington (Del.), his seventh of the season which is tied for second on the squad and his 20 points, 49 shots and 25 shots on goal also come in at second behind Lohberger.

The goalkeeper tandem of senior Jadel Poon-Lewis (Diego Martin, Trinidad, and Tobago) and graduate student Clay Thomas (Franklin, Tenn.) coupled with their suffocating backline has been key to their success defensively. Poon-Lewis easily set a new career-low in goals allowed (2) and goals-against average (0.27) as he is atop the conference leaderboard in both categories. He also paces the NE10 in shutouts (5). Thomas, a transfer from the University of Vermont (3rd all-time in GAA. 0.77), and an NE10 All-Conference Third Team choice, picked up right where he left off with the Catamounts ranking second behind his teammate in goals-against average (0.77), third in goals allowed (9) and tied for third in shutouts (4/1).

As a team, the Ravens scoring offense ranks 24th (2.26 goals/gm) in Division II while they contribute the 13th most shots per game (16.84) and the 10th most shots on goal (7.89).

SCOUTING THE EAGLES

The Eagles enter the tournament as the no. 9 seed in the first Super Region after completing the 2019 slate, head coach Ted Haley's 15th season (16-3-3, 8-2-2 CACC). They finished second in the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) Regular Season standings earning the no. 2 seed in the conference dance. They went 3-0 in the conference tournament all at home earning wins versus Dominican College (3-0), Holy Family University (2-1) and Georgian Court University (1-0) en route to their second straight and third overall CACC title (2008, 2018, 2019).

In the NCAA Tournament, Post faced off with no. 8 seeded Millersville University in the First Round and advanced to the Second Round with their first-ever tourney win in program annals, a 3-2 victory. They then moved on to face no. 6 nationally-ranked Adelphi and shocked the no. 1 seeded Panthers 1-0 to reach the Third Round. Post currently is riding an eight match win streak and hasn't lost since a 2-1 double-overtime setback to Holy Family on Saturday, October 26th.

Post is led by D2CAA All-East Region First Team, All CACC First Team and 2018 CACC Player of the Year Sergio Diaz. Diaz is the conference and Division II leader in assists (18) and he paces both the league and nation in shots on goal per game (2.95). His 52 points are currently second in the conference and in the United States of America. Alvaro Sanchez, an All-East Region Second Team forward also contributes on the offensive end as well.

On the defensive side, Andrea Michele Baleotto, an All-CACC First Team honoree leads the Eagle backline with netminder David Mollenthiel, who is a CACC Second Team Member. Mollenthiel is first in the CACC in save percentage (.778), goals-against average (1.01) and has given up the second-lowest amount of goals (20).

As a team, Post ranks 13th in all of NCAA Division II in total goals (48) and 14th in total points (132). Their 48 goals are second in the CACC and they have only given up 22 goals all year, the lowest in the conference.

MATCHUP HISTORY

Head-to-head, this will mark the fifth time these two programs have met, the first time in the NCAA Tournament. The last meeting between these squads was 2015 which resulted in a 2-0 victory for Post on October 7, 2015 in Rindge. Overall, the Eagles lead the series at 3-1-0. FPU's last win came in their National Championship year, 2007, a 5-0 victory on August 26th.

HEADING TO THE GAME?

If you are planning on heading to the game here are the directions to the McConnell Family Stadium in Erie, Pa.

You will be required to pay a small gate fee to enter the stadium the prices are (cash only)…

Adults…..$10.00

Students, Children (ages 2-12) & Seniors…..$6.00

Children under two-years-old will be admitted free of charge.

WHERE TO WATCH

Can't make it to the game? Gannon University has you covered with live stats and free video. Click the links below to access the live stats and video.

LIVE STATS | VIDEO | DII MEN'S SOCCER INTERACTIVE BRACKET | PRINTABLE BRACKET

You can also view their championship central page by clicking here.

WHAT'S NEXT?

The winner of this contest will advance to play the victor of the no. 3 Charleston (W. Va.)/no. 2 Gannon bout in the Super Region 1 Quarterfinals hosted by Gannon Saturday, December 7th at 2:00 p.m.

For more information on Franklin Pierce Athletics, please visit the official website of Franklin Pierce Athletics (http://fpuravens.com). Also be sure to follow the Ravens through the Department of Athletics' official Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/FranklinPierceRavens), its YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/franklinpiercesports) and its Twitter feed (http://twitter.com/FPUathletics). Fans wishing to purchase Franklin Pierce apparel can do so at the Department of Athletics' online store (https://shopfpuravens.com). You can also follow the men's soccer team on Twitter (https://twitter.com/fpumsoccer), Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/fpumsoccer/) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/fpumsoccer/).