RINDGE, N.H. - - A pair of second-half goals carried the No. 2 seed and host Franklin Pierce to a 2-0 victory over the No. 2 seed Wilmington University women's soccer team in the First Round of the NCAA Division II East Regional Tournament on Friday afternoon at Sodexo Field.

The injury-plagued Wildcats fought hard in their first NCAA appearance since 2012, but the No. 2 seed Ravens overpowered the Wildcats and eventually broke through in the second half. The Wildcats finished their season with a 12-6-1 overall record while the Ravens move on to the Second Round against No. 3 seed Southern New Hampshire with a 17-3-1 overall record.

The Ravens had two goals wiped off the board in the first half due to being offsides and Ellie Lawrence cleared a ball off the line in the 37^th minute to keep the game scoreless. Arianna Myers made two saves in the first half and Maria Leguizamon had the lone shot on goal off a free kick as the teams went into the half knotted, 0-0.

Early in the second half, the Ravens played a cross into the box from the right side. The ball ricocheted off a Wilmington defender and into the back of the net, giving the home team a 1-0 lead in the 47^th minute.

Julia Yuhase had a shot off a corner, but it sailed over the crossbar in the 56^th minute. The Ravens added a penalty kick in the 88^th minute and the Ravens advance to the Second Round with a 2-0 victory.

The Ravens led in shots, 19-2, and 11-1 in corners. Arianna Myers made three saves in the loss.

It was just the second NCAA Tournament appearance for the women's soccer program and the first since the 2012 team won the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Tournament to earn the automatic qualification.