COLCHESTER, Vt. - In a meeting of regionally-ranked Northeast 10 Conference squads, the Saint Michael's College men's soccer team lost on a late goal to Franklin Pierce University, 4-3, on Tuesday evening at Duffy Field. The Purple Knights were seventh in this week's United Soccer Coaches East Region poll, while the Ravens sat fifth and remained one of three unbeaten NE10 teams.
 
RECORDS

• Saint Michael's (6-3-1, 3-2 NE10), Franklin Pierce (5-2-1, 3-0 NE10)

SAINT MICHAEL'S LEADERS

• Senior Xolo Miralles (Vinaròs, Spain/IES Leopoldo Querol/Otero), 1 goal, 1 assist
• Junior Marshall Butler (Middletown, Conn./Middletown), 1 goal
• Sophomore Rodrigo Salamanca Lopez (Madrid, Spain/Colegio Internacional Aravaca), 1 goal
• Senior Garrett Smith (Gorham, Maine/Bridgton Academy/Bryant), 5 saves

OPPONENT LEADERS

• Graduate student Joao Araujo, 1 goal, 2 assists
• First-year Guillermo Rios, 1 goal, 1 assist
• Senior Guillermo Avendaño, 1 goal
• First-year Stepan Fiker, 1 goal
• Senior David Skorodumov, 3 saves

GAME FACTS

• The Purple Knights scored three goals against the Ravens for the first time.
• Franklin Pierce entered the game with an 0.86 goals-against average, having yielded only six goals all year.

THE ACTION

• Saint Michael's field players supported Smith's defensive effort with a pair of team saves in the opening 25 minutes, with junior Alvaro Macias-Cazorla (Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain/The American School of Las Palmas) and senior Ian McGee (Union, N.J./Union/Fairleigh Dickinson) blocking shots destined for goal in the third and early in the 25th minutes, respectively, with Smith out of the play.
• Rios put the Ravens ahead in the 30th minute, heading home Araujo's corner kick service.
• The visitors nearly took the lead into halftime, but Miralles' header with 16 seconds left in the stanza tucked into the left side of the net. First-year Liam Weldon (Essex, Vt./Shattuck-Saint Mary's School) and senior Mikel Penin (Bergara, Basque Country/Ipintza Instituta/Spring Hill) lent the assists.
• Only 27 seconds into the second period, Araujo finished out front following quick ball movement from two teammates.
• Butler knotted the teams once again at 51:22, heading Miralles' free kick service into the left side of the net, and Salamanca Lopez, the reigning NE10 Defensive Player of the Week, buried a free kick for the second straight game just 5:03 later to provide the hosts a 3-2 lead.
• Fiker found the equalizer in the 76th minute with a header of Araujo's corner kick cross.
• With fewer than 90 seconds remaining, junior Joaco Lauria's through ball sent Avendano into the right side of the box, where he sent a low shot beyond a diving Smith. That proved to be the game's final shot.

NEXT SAINT MICHAEL'S GAME

• Saturday at Bentley University, 12 p.m.
• The Falcons were fourth in this week's United Soccer Coaches East Region poll and lead the NE10 with 12 points.