Rindge, NH - The No. 10 Dowling College Men's
Soccer team knocked out the top ranked Franklin Pierce University
Ravens this Saturday, 1-0, to claim the East Region crown for
the second time in three years. With the win, the Golden
Lions travel to Louisville, KY for the NCAA Division II Fall Sports
Festival.
The Golden Lions started the game slowly, which resulted in some
big chances for the Ravens. Dowling's defense held strong, led by
Vladimir Milosavljevic, who continuingly stopped the opponent's
offense before it got dangerous. As the game progressed, The Golden
Lions started to show some teeth through Keith Vigorito, who had a
great shot saved by the Ravens' goalkeeper, Vinny Papageorgiou.
Dowling outplayed the Ravens in the second half and took
initiative of the game. The Golden Lions eventually took the lead
through Jorge Ruiz, who was alone on goal and chipped it over the
Franklin Pierce keeper to give Dowling the 1-0 edge in the 74th
minute. This was Jorge's fourth goal of the season.
The Ravens had a chance in the final minutes of play as they found
the back of the Dowling net, but the goal was called due to
Franklin Pierce being offsides. The Golden Lions were able to
hang on for the victory thanks to Chris Kucera who had some tough
saves down the stretch.
Kucera, the Daktronics All-East Region second team goalkeeper,
tallied 6 saves on the day to earn his 8th shutout of the
year. Papageorgiou, the Daktronics All-East Region first team
goalkeeper, turned away 5 shots for the Ravens, letting up the lone
goal of the game.
Dowling now improves to 12-1-6 on the year while Franklin Pierce
ends their season at 17-2-2, with both losses coming at the hands
of the Golden Lions.
This victory takes Dowling to Louisville, Kentucky for the Final
Four in the NCAA tournament.
Provided by the Dowling Sports Information Department.
