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Ravens Take NE-10 Title over AIC in Rain-Soaked Final

The number-4 ranked Franklin Pierce Ravens were crowned NE-10 Champions Saturday night after a 2-1 victory over the number-23 American International College Yellow Jackets.

The match was a wet affair, with the start of the contest delayed by almost an hour by lightning.

In goal for the Ravens, once again, was Kostas Maniatis. He would save 3 of the 4 shots he faced. His opposite for the Yellow Jackets was Ioannis Iatroudis, who would make 5 saves out of 7.

The first half was mostly quiet, with both teams finding their legs and feeling each other out. Jonas Cervera Anchel nearly broke the deadlock for the Ravens in the 27th minute, as his shot would be the first to pose a test to either keeper, forcing a diving save out of Iatroudis. That half would end goalless, with shots showing 9-2 (4-1 on target) in favor of the Ravens.

The second half began with both sides showing more promise moving forward. The Ravens came out swinging, forcing a pair of saves out of Iatroudis.

The deadlock would finally break in the 53rd minute. Braudillio Rodrigues picked his defenders’ pocket on the touchline, cut inside, and curled the ball into the top right corner, gluing the keeper to the spot. Just three minutes later, Carlos Ferrand Felis would add an insurance marker for the Ravens, heading home a Vicente Valor Martinez free kick.

American International would earn one back through Salim Yussif in the 61st minute, capping off a 3 goal, 8-minute stretch of play. Yussif latched onto a Dirk Doppen pass and beat Maniatis through power from inside the 18-yard box.

That stretch seemed poised to continue, but Franklin Pierce settled the game down and began to control possession, bleeding precious time off the clock. Love Lindberg’s 70th minute shot, point blank and right down the middle, would be the Yellow Jacket’s final threat of the evening.

This is the Ravens’ fourth NE-10 Conference Championship, and first since 2011, when they defeated Southern New Hampshire University 1-0.

Both sides now await the D-II Men’s Soccer bracket announcement, set for Monday evening.