Pipe dreams

FPU goalie takes chance path to Final Four

KEN MURPHY
Sentinel Staff


RINDGE — Brittany Ester was a student at Grossmont College in El Cajon, Calif., last spring when she attended the Franklin Pierce Hall of Fame induction ceremony as a guest of her then-boyfriend, Shaun Burstein, who was accepting a posthumous induction on behalf of his late brother, Jeff.

Ester said she was “one foot out the door” when her boyfriend mentioned he had heard — oh, by the way — that the coach of the women’s soccer team might be in need of a goalie.

Franklin Pierce Coach Jeff Bailey was also an inductee that evening last May as a member of the 1991 men’s soccer team.

A two-year goalkeeper at Grossmont, Ester happened to be a player in need of a team as she was wrapping up her studies at the community college. Fortunately for the Ravens, she decided to keep that second foot in the door, and met with Bailey.

Ester leads a Franklin Pierce defense that has not allowed a goal in six playoff games, including four games in the NCAA Division II tournament.

The New England Region champion Ravens (17-1-5), who were a No. 3 seed, take an 18-match unbeaten streak into tonight’s Final Four match against the Far West Region champion Seattle Pacific Falcons (23-0-0) at the SportsPlex at Orange Beach, Ala.

Seattle Pacific was ranked first in its regional, as were the other two Final Four teams, Tampa (18-2-2) and Grand Valley (Mich.) State (22-0-3). They play today at 3 p.m. Semifinal winners play Saturday.

Ester has started in net for the Ravens the last 13 games after starting goalkeeper Jenna Mello went down with a torn ACL early in the second half against Merrimack on Sept. 25. Before Mello’s injury, Ester had started four of the team’s first nine games.

“It’s big coming in with experience,” Ester said of her introduction to the Northeast-10. “Working with Jenna in the preseason and the first half of the season played a major role in how things worked out.”

Had Mello, a senior captain, not been hurt, Ester would likely still be watching from the sideline and waiting for her chance. Not anymore.

“We brought her in because we needed a backup,” Bailey said about Ester’s path to becoming a Raven since their meeting at the Hall of Fame ceremony. “I heard good things about her from the coach but I never saw her play. We liked what we saw.

“Jenna was still probably the better of the keepers at that point, but obviously it was good to have a backup, and she came in and she’s done a fantastic job.”

Ester totes a 0.44 goals against average into tonight’s game, along with an .879 save percentage and 11 shutouts. A New Jersey native, Ester holds the career shutout record at Grossmont with 18 in her two seasons.

Still, undefeated and untied Seattle Pacific affords a little better competition than, say, California Community College bottom feeders Compton and Imperial Valley.

“I’m excited to play the type of competition we’ll see (at the Final Four),” Ester said. “This is what everyone shoots for and we play up to the level of our competition. It’ll bring something out of us that people may not have seen yet.”

The Ravens have a back four playing in front of Ester who at first glance seem an unlikely bunch to have contributed to a lengthy postseason shutout. Rebecca Westbury, the anchor of the defense a year ago, went down with a pulled hamstring Sept. 8 against Bryant. In her stead, Bailey has counted on freshman Kelly Weygand, senior Taryn Welker, junior Melissa Hagmire and, in a surprise move, sophomore Rachel Smith, who was a striker last season alongside Brazilian superstar Gabriela Demoner.

“We’ve worked out the kinks,” Smith said. “All four of us in the back are very close and we know what each other is thinking. Our goal is to protect Brittany and not have her ever have to touch the ball. We’ve peaked at the correct time, and we’ve shown that with the (postseason) shutouts we’ve had.”

Smith, who had five goals and two assists last season, said she struggled at first with the move to the backfield.

“It took awhile to get used to, but wherever the coach and the team need me is where I’ll be. I miss being a forward, but I like my job now. … I’m just happy with being on the field.”

Franklin Pierce’s defense has not yielded a goal in 588 minutes, 11 seconds. The last goal allowed came against Southern Connecticut State in a 5-2 victory on Oct. 20.

Seattle Pacific, by comparison, has allowed two goals since that time. The Falcons have also gone 10-0 in that span, outscoring opponents 18-2. The Ravens defense, as Ester suspects, will be tested in a big way.

“Seattle’s won three (NCAA tournament games) quite easily out of their region, so they must be good,” Bailey said. “I think we’re battle-tested. I’m not sure how hard the games were that they’ve had. But everyone here is good. It’s three No. 1 seeds, and we’re the outsider.”

In the men’s Final Four, Franklin Pierce takes on Midwestern State on Friday.