Unbeaten Franklin Pierce men's soccer team punches ticket to College Cup with dramatic win over Charleston

Nov. 20—RINDGE — It's been night after night of soccer elegance at Sodexo Field this season, of technical precision and near-perfection as undefeated Franklin Pierce University barrel-rolled through the Northeast-10 and into the No. 1 ranking in the country.

But the Ravens knew the night would come when grit and resolve would be mandatory. They knew their fortitude and nerves, alongside their skills, would be tested if they wanted to reach their ultimate destination, the College Cup (soccer's version of the Final Four) in Seattle the first weekend in December.

That night was Saturday.

Perennial power the University of Charleston (West Virginia) — the 2017 and 2019 national champions, finalists last year and 20-1 this year — came calling in the final of the men's NCAA Division II Super Region I championship in chilly Rindge. The Golden Eagles, seeded second, had the pedigree, talent and experience to challenge FPU like no other team.

Mustering 90 minutes of flawless defense and poise, the Ravens capitalized on a slight mistake by the Golden Eagles and turned it into a 1-0 victory. Unlike last year's bitter defeat to Millersville in the third round, there was no overtime, no penalty kicks, just dancing in the dark among players, coaches and fans.

Miguel Secades Rodriguez scored FPU's goal at the 28:30 mark of the first half on the rebound of a Vicente Valor Martinez shot. Braudilio Rodrigues crossed to Martinez after a run down left wing, and when Charleston goalie Marc Torrado couldn't corral the rebound, Rodriguez was on the doorstep.

"It was easy," Secades Rodriguez said with a grin. "(Martinez and Rodrigues) did all the work. I just kicked the ball in."

"That was one of the times in the first half when we really broke them down," FPU Coach Ruben Resendes said. "We went back up into the midfield, out wide, things we go over in training and on film all the time and the guys executed on the second ball with an attacking midfielder coming late."

Charleston Coach Daniel Smee said the teams were so evenly matched it wasn't surprising that the smallest of openings proved to be the difference.

"I'm not sure that they had many clear-cut chances. They scored on the one that they had; unfortunately for Marc he let it get away from him a little bit," Smee said. "I'm not sure who scored for them but he did a great job following it in. Good for him. We didn't have a whole bunch of chances ourselves so it was a really even game. It was always going to be one goal to win it and unfortunately it wasn't us."

Smee added that he viewed the match as the possible national championship game. Having been to the College Cup three of the last four years it's been played, Smee said FPU will be a force in Seattle.

"My opinion is (we're) the two best teams in the country. I thought whoever was going to win tonight will win the whole thing, the national tournament. Unfortunately for us, it wasn't us," Smee said.

FPU still had to survive an hour of Charleston pushing play forward in seeking the tying marker. That put constant pressure on the back four of Aitor Aguado, Jesus Gonzalez Diaz, Bernardo Prego and Rodrigo Parafito, who were particularly active in protecting goalkeeper Javier Torres.

The Golden Eagles moved the ball dangerously into the box several times, creating four corner kicks, but never squeezed off a shot that forced Torres into any sort of acrobatics. Both teams had 12 shots, many of FPU's coming on the counterattack after its goal, but Torres had to make only three saves thanks to his defense.

"We created a little bit more danger than they did. After we scored the first goal we definitely didn't have as much of the ball, which is normal when two good teams play against each other," Resendes said. "I think if it had stayed 0-0 the whole time we probably would have had more of the ball, but because we scored early, naturally they committed more numbers forward. We dropped in just to kind of play it safe and created more of our chances on the counterattack."

In many ways, it was like looking into a mirror for FPU — Charleston even wears maroon, just like the Ravens. "I think they try and do a lot of the same things," Resendes said. "I think we defend a little different than they do but in terms of how we both attack it's pretty similar. Very evenly matched."

The match got a little chippy as it went forward, with referee Daniel Shenk-Moreno not shy about showing yellow cards to keep things under control. He booked the Ravens six times and Charleston four, with both benches getting one. Fouls were about even, with Charleston committing 20 and FPU 18.

"We knew it was going to be a tough game but we were prepared for that," FPU midfielder Marc Lopez said. "We kept going and we fought and finally we got it."

Last year FPU's season ended in tears on the Sodexo Field turf, as Millersville beat it on penalty kicks in a match FPU largely controlled.

"It's tough because in playoff soccer the best team don't always win," Resendes said. "Things come down to small margins and small details and we've failed in the past and we've learned from that. We're just trying to be better from it and again we took advantage today and obviously came out with the win."

The Ravens don't yet officially know their opponent in Seattle, as one quarterfinal (Barry vs. Rollins) won't be played until Sunday. Also advancing Saturday with identical 1-0 quarterfinal victories were Lake Erie (over Marymount) and CSU Pueblo (over Northwest Nazarene).

"Franklin Pierce is a really, really really good team and they should win the thing now, and I really hope they do. They're a quality team and I'm a big fan of Ruben as well," Smee said.

The men's soccer team won't be the only FPU club in Seattle. The men's cross country team on Saturday finished second out of 21 teams in the East Region Championships at Bethpage State Park in New York to earn a trip to the nationals, which are in Seattle Dec. 3.

And the women's soccer team on Sunday plays West Chester in Albany, N.Y., in the national quarterfinals, with the winner advancing to Seattle with the men, a weekend the NCAA is calling the Division II Championships Festival.

It could have a decidedly maroon hue.