STEUBENVILLE—As the freezing rain took over Steubenville Saturday afternoon, Franciscan University's soccer teams stormed the fields to win a conference doubleheader against the Hilbert College Hawks. The Barons beat the Hawks 2-0, while the Lady Barons also earned a 2-0 victory.

"The men played well despite the muddy, rainy weather conditions," said assistant coach Billy Herrmann. "The Barons played as if there was no difference on the field, just like it was a beautiful sunny day, even though the ball and passes were getting weighted down by the mud."

The Baron defense had a hard time connecting with the midfield at the beginning of the game, but the communication became much better as the game progressed. Bill Milburn played center defender instead of his normal midfielder position, helping to boost the Baron defense. Blake Bonilla displayed good offensive strategies on the day, assisting Tommy Allen in the first Baron goal of the game. Kevin McCartney scored the second goal unassisted during the second half of the game.

The Barons now sit 2-7 overall and 1-1 in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference.

"The Lady Barons played a great game this afternoon; they played strong mentally, not allowing the conditions to affect them," said Herrmann. "The women played really well down the side lines, running the ball all the way down the field, making good crosses and corner kicks."

Julia Cocozza scored the first goal for the Lady Barons, assisted by Amanda Looman, just before the end of the first half. Stacy Lancour scored the second goal halfway into the second half, assisted by Ashley Ruttencutter. The Lady Barons tallied 19 shots on goal on the day, while the Hawks had 4 shots attempted, showing Franciscan's offense determination.

The Lady Barons now sit 5-4 overall and 1-1 in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference.

Franciscan soccer travels to La Roche College on Wednesday, Oct. 5, to take on AMCC foe the Redhawks. The men's game is slated to begin at 2 p.m. and the women following at 4 p.m.