RINDGE, N.H. – One of Gannon's greatest men's soccer seasons ended with a shorthanded Golden Knights team giving the defending national champions all they could handle.

Franklin Pierce, riding a 53-game unbeaten streak, scored early in the second half and held on for a 1-0 victory over a gutsy Gannon team that kept the pressure on to the end in the NCAA Division II Super Region One title game at FPU's Sodexo Field.

The powerful Ravens (19-0-2) advance to the NCAA Final Four at Sportsplex at Matthews in Matthews, North Carolina, from Dec. 7-9. Franklin Pierce is now 50-0-4 in the past 54 games, with the only setback coming in a shootout after a tie in the 2021 NCAA Tournament.

Coach Billy Colton's Gannon team concludes its 2023 season with an 18-2-2 record after going on a magical NCAA Tournament run that included wins over PSAC champion Millersville and No. 2-seeded Charleston. Despite missing four starters to injury Saturday – Pau Ferrer (Valencia, Spain/ISES Isabel de Villena), Sverre Orten (Orsta, Norway/Aalesund vgs), Herman Aanberg (Hamar, Norway/Wang Toppidrett Oslo), and Lennox Crews (Offenbach, Germany/Leibnizschule) – the Golden Knights still gave the defending national champions.

"We gave it everything and just came up short," Colton said. "We went toe to toe with the number one team in the nation, and on another day could have won that game. It hurts right now, but I am so proud of this team. We asked them not to leave anything out there, and they didn't."

Gannon's defense played extremely well, and goalie Samuel Alarcon (Madrid, Spain/Colegio el Valle II) made numerous clutch plays on his way to finishing with nine saves.

Franklin Pierce, however, was able to slow the offensive attack for Gannon, which entered the game as the second-leading scoring team in the nation. FPU outshot GU 16-6, including a 10-2 margin in shots on goal.

Gannon played FPU to a scoreless tie in the first half, but the Ravens struck quickly in the second half when Aaron Sanchez Sanchez scored on a header less than five minutes into the half. He was assisted by Alvaro Rey Mira and Lucio Yahia.

Alarcon and GU's scrambling defenders thwarted several other golden opportunities for FPU.

Colton inserted many players into the lineup throughout the evening, including a handful of seniors. They showed they could play with the best in Division II. That list of departing seniors included Atlantic Region Player of the Year Tinashe Katsande (Norwich, England/Dereham Sixth Form College) and standout midfielder James Pool (Hastings, England/Claverham), who tied for the team lead with 17 goals apiece.

"Firstly, thank you to all our seniors who have put so much into this program over the last four or five years," Colton said. "They go out leaving the shirt in a better place. Undefeated regular season, second top scoring team in the nation, and make it to the Elite Eight, which hasn't been done in 30 years. It was an absolute pleasure working with this group every day. We will look back on this season with a lot of great memories and so much to be proud of."