2024 Gannon men's soccer team photo

Men's Soccer Bob Shreve, Assistant Director of Athletics Media Relations

Men's Soccer Game Preview: Gannon Hosts Two-Time Defending National Champion Franklin Pierce in Super Region 1 Match

No. 4 GANNON GOLDEN KNIGHTS (14-1-4) vs. No. 5 FRANKLIN PIERCE RAVENS (15-3-2)
NCAA SUPER REGION 1 SECOND ROUND
DATE/TIME: Sunday, November 24, 2024 | 12 noon
STADIUM/LOCATION: McConnell Family Stadium l Erie, Pa.
LIVE STATS
LIVE VIDEO
REGIONAL CENTRAL

First Round (at Charleston, WV)
Friday, November 22, 2024
No. 8 New Haven vs. No. 9 Concord – 3:00 p.m.

Second Round
Sunday, November 24, 2024 (at Gannon)
No. 4 Gannon vs. No. 5 Franklin Pierce – 12 noon
Sunday, November 24, 2024 (at Charleston)
No. 1 Charleston (WV) vs. winner New Haven-Concord – 3:00 p.m.
 
Third Round
TBA
Winner Gannon-Franklin Pierce vs. winner Charleston-New Haven/Concord -- TBA


TICKETS
Admission for tournament play will be as follows:
Adults $10.00
Students with I.D./Senior Citizens $5.00
Children, ages 2-12 $5.00

Children under the age of 2 shall be admitted free when accompanied by a paying adult.
Tickets can be purchased online in advance of the competition using this link: TICKETS

Tickets will also be sold at the ticket window. Cash and card will be accepted. 
 
THE GANNON-FRANKLIN PIERCE SERIES
Franklin Pierce leads 4-0-0
Franklin Pierce has won all four previous meetings with Gannon in a series that first began in 1994. The two teams met for the first time since 2002 a year ago in the NCAA Elite Eight, with the Ravens edging Gannon 1-0.
Last Meeting:  Dec. 2, 2023 – Franklin Pierce 1, Gannon 0 l RECAP
With four starters out due to injuries the Golden Knights put up a stern battle against defending national champion Franklin Pierce before losing 1-0. The two teams battled to a scoreless tie at the half but the Ravens struck for the game's lone goal five minutes into the second half. Franklin Pierce outshot Gannon 16-6.



ERIE, Pa. -- Gannon earned its 13th berth in the NCAA Division II Tournament and is seeded fourth in Super Region 1. The Golden Knights host two-time defending national champion Franklin Pierce in the second round. The Ravens are seeded fifth and have an 11-2-5 record. The match will take place on Sunday, November 24 at 12 noon at McConnell Family Stadium.
 
The Golden Knights will be appearing in the Super Region 1 Tournament for the third time in four years and fourth overall under head coach Billy Colton. They come in with a 14-3-3 record after dropping a 2-1 decision to Bloomsburg in the PSAC Championship Game.
 
The meeting with Franklin Pierce is a rematch of last year's NCAA Elite Eight contest. The Ravens scored a goal early in the second half and advanced with a 1-0 win.
 
Charleston (WV) (18-1-1) is the number one seed in Super Region 1. The Golden Eagles will play the winner of the first-round game between No. 8 New Haven (12-4-3) and No. 9 Concord (15-3-2).
 
The bottom half of the bracket features No. 2 seed Southern New Hampshire (14-2-2) playing the winner of No. 7 Post (12-5-2) and No. 10 District of Columbia (8-7-4). Bloomsburg, the PSAC champion, is the third seed and will play No. 6 Felician (16-4-2) in the second round. 
 
Gannon has enjoyed another highly successful season under Colton, winning the Western Division regular season title for the second straight year. The Golden Knights reached the PSAC Championship thanks to a 1-0 overtime win over West Chester in the semifinals.
 
Last Sunday's loss to Bloomsburg snapped a three-game winning streak and was Gannon's first loss since September 17, a 3-1 loss to Adelphi. Since that time the Golden Knights had gone 11-0-3.
 
FAST FACTS ON GANNON and FRANKLIN PIERCE
 
No. 4 Gannon Golden Knights (14-3-3)
Head Coach: Billy Colton (66-15-6, 5th season)
Leading Scorers:  Sverre Orten (Orsta, Norway/Aalesund vgs), MF (9G-13A-31 pts.); Alander Soares (Caxias do Sul, Brazil/Escola Estadual de Ensino Medio Santa Catarina), F (12G-3A-27 pts.); Rafa Hyde (São José dos Campos, Brazil), F (10G-4A-24 pts.); Per Kristian Lauvstad (Nesoya, Norway), F (10G-3A-23 pts.); James Pool (Hastings, England/Claverham), MF (4G-10A-18 pts.); Herman Aanberg (Hamar, Norway/Wang Toppidrett Oslo), MF (2G-12A-16 pts.)
Goalkeeper: Andre Moares (13-3-3, 0.84 GAA, .742 save pct., 9 SHO)
All-PSAC Players: Billy Colton (PSAC West Coach of the Year); Sverre Orten (Orsta, Norway/Aalesund vgs), MF (PSAC West Athlete of the Year, 1st Team); Pau Ferrer, D (PSAC West Defensive Athlete of the Year, 1st Team); Bautista Corti (Manuel Alberti, Argentina/Adultos 2000), D (1st Team); Herman Aanberg (Hamar, Norway/Wang Toppidrett Oslo), MF (1st Team); James Pool (Hastings, England/Claverham), MF (1st team); Andre Moraes (Sao Bernardo do Campo, Brazil/Colegio Singular), GK (1st Team); Alander Soares (Caxias do Sul, Brazil/Escola Estadual de Ensino Medio Santa Catarina), F (1st Team)
Fast Facts: Gannon leads Division II in goals for the second straight year with 66 after finishing with 69 a year ago … Bautista Corti (Manuel Alberti, Argentina/Adultos 2000) recently became just the second Golden Knight to earn All-PSAC West honors four times … Sverre Orten (Orsta, Norway/Aalesund vgs) is tied for third in Division II in assists (13) while Herman Aanberg (Hamar, Norway/Wang Toppidrett Oslo) is tied for fourth with 12. James Pool (Hastings, England/Claverham) adds 11 assists, which is tied for 11th.
 
No. 5 Franklin Pierce Ravens (11-2-5)
Head Coach: Travis Brent (32-2-7, 2nd season)
Leading Scorers: Antonio Lima, MF (7G-5A-19 pts.); Guillermo Avendano, F (7G-14 pts.); Andy Chisholm, F (5G-3A-13 pts.) 
Goalkeeper: Karl Vernet (7-2-4, 1.05 GAA, .674 save pct, 5 SHO)
All-NE-10 Players: Tiago Battinguinha, MF (1st Team); Antonio Lima, MF (2nd Team); Guillermo Avendano, F (2nd Team); Joaquin Lauri (2nd Team); Jesse Oostendorp, D (2nd Team, All-Rookie Team); Andy Chisholm, F (3rd Team); Joao Araujo, MF (3rd Team)
Fast Facts: Franklin Pierce won the Division II national championship in 2022 and again in 2023 … the Ravens were denied a fourth straight Northeast-10 championship with a 1-0 loss to New Haven in the semifinals … a year ago Franklin Pierce advanced to the Final Four with a win over Gannon, then defeated Lewis 3-2 in the semifinals. They claimed their second straight national championship with a 4-0 win over Colorado State Pueblo.
  
GANNON IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT  
Gannon makes its 13th appearance in the NCAA Division II Men's Soccer Tournament. The Golden Knights have made the NCAA Tournament in the following years: 1984, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1993, 2007, 2012, 2019, 2021, 2023, and now 2024.
1984
LOCK HAVEN -- L, 0-2
1985  
DAVIS & ELKINS -- L, 1-2
1986  
OAKLAND -- L, 1-2
1988  
at Tampa -- W, 3-1
vs. Florida Inst. of Technology -- L, 0-1
1989
OAKLAND -- W, 2-1 ot
EAST STROUDSBURG -- W, 1-0
NCAA SEMIFINALS
at UNC-Greensboro L, 2-4
1990  
at Oakland -- W, 2-1
NCAA SEMIFINALS
vs. Southern Connecticut St. -- L, 1-2 ot
1993   
OAKLAND -- W, 3-2 ot
NCAA SEMIFINALS
vs. Southern Connecticut St. -- L, 0-2
2007
at Northern Kentucky -- L, 2-5
2012   
DAVIS & ELKINS -- W, 2-1
NCAA ATLANTIC REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
vs. Mercyhurst -- L, 1-2
2019
ASSUMPTION -- W, 5-0
CHARLESTON (WV) -- L, 0-3
2021
at Millersville -- T 2-2 2ot (Millersville advanced 4-3 on PKs)
2023
at Millersville – W, 2-1
vs. Charleston (WV) – W, 2-1
at Franklin Pierce – L, 0-1
 
Next for the Golden Knights
A win in Sunday's Super Region 1 second round match against Franklin Pierce would send Gannon into the third round. New Haven and Concord meet in a first round game, with the winner advancing to the second round to play at Charleston (WV), also on Sunday, November 24. That winner will meet the Gannon-Franklin Pierce winner.
 
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Players Mentioned

Pau Ferrer

#4 Pau Ferrer

D
5' 9"
Redshirt Sophomore
Computer Science
Rafa Hyde

#9 Rafa Hyde

F
6' 1"
Sophomore
Sverre Orten

#8 Sverre Orten

MF
5' 9"
Junior
Business Administration 
Herman Aanberg

#10 Herman Aanberg

MF
5' 10"
Senior
Bautista Corti

#5 Bautista Corti

D
6' 2"
Senior
James Pool

#6 James Pool

MF
5' 10"
Graduate Student
Alander Soares

#11 Alander Soares

MF
5' 10"
Freshman
Andre Moraes

#20 Andre Moraes

GK
6' 1"
Redshirt Sophomore
Per Kristian Lauvstad

#22 Per Kristian Lauvstad

F
Freshman

Players Mentioned

Pau Ferrer

#4 Pau Ferrer

5' 9"
Redshirt Sophomore
Computer Science
D
Rafa Hyde

#9 Rafa Hyde

6' 1"
Sophomore
F
Sverre Orten

#8 Sverre Orten

5' 9"
Junior
Business Administration 
MF
Herman Aanberg

#10 Herman Aanberg

5' 10"
Senior
MF
Bautista Corti

#5 Bautista Corti

6' 2"
Senior
D
James Pool

#6 James Pool

5' 10"
Graduate Student
MF
Alander Soares

#11 Alander Soares

5' 10"
Freshman
MF
Andre Moraes

#20 Andre Moraes

6' 1"
Redshirt Sophomore
GK
Per Kristian Lauvstad

#22 Per Kristian Lauvstad

Freshman
F