Men's Soccer Falls 1-0 At Franklin Pierce In Hard-Fought 2013 Season Opener

Rindge, N.H.-The University of Bridgeport men's soccer team lost its 2013 season opener on Saturday, as the Purple Knights dropped a hard-fought 1-0 decision at Franklin Pierce University (1-1-0).

Sophomore David Stipp scored the only goal of the match for the Ravens at the 33:24 mark of the first half, as he chipped home a deflected pass from teammate Jefferson Rojas.

The Purple Knights, who were limited to only one shot on offense in the first half, picked up the pressure in the final 45 minutes, as they recorded seven shots.  UB almost tied the game at 1-1 with only 2:29 to play in regulation, but senior Michael Martinez' (Riverside, Conn.) shot hit the post to keep FPU ahead 1-0.

Goalkeeper Sam Meza made three saves to record the clean sheet for Franklin Pierce, and Bridgeport's Augustin Prados (Jr., Madrid, Spain) made two saves for the Purple Knights.  The Ravens finished with an 11-8 advantage in shots on the day.

UB is next in action on Thursday night (September 12) when the team plays its 2013 home opener versus Bloomfield College to wrap up day one of the Bridgeport Men's Classic.  Match time is set for 7:00 p.m.  Action gets underway on Thursday at 4:00 p.m. when Wilmington (Del.) University faces LIU Post to open the 2013 UB Men's Soccer Classic.