STEUBENVILE, Oh.— Franciscan University men's soccer team lost its last game of the season in a highly contentious match with Mt. Aloysius College that ended with six red cards and a final score of 3-1.

The Barons began the game strong and kept the score tied at 0-0 until the 40th minute, when a quick play off a corner kick gave Mt. Aloysius its first goal. Despite this and the Mounties' two goals late in the second half, the Barons continued to open up the offensive end of the field and search for good shots.

"This was our best game as far as controlling the ball and being able to work it through the midfield to create opportunities in our attacking end of the field," head coach Ward Rogers said adding that he was happy with the team's aggressive style of play.

While the Barons proved their ability to create shot opportunities with eleven shots on goal and twenty total shots, the aspect of the game which proved most difficult was finishing.

"Unfortunately for us, the goalkeeper made some nice saves today and we, quite honestly, missed a couple of good opportunities by not hitting the net," Rogers said.

Standout Franciscan players were midfielders Luke Merry and John Imbimbo who held strong on both ends of the field. Rogers said that seniors Joe Krilich and Bill Milburn also had great final games at midfield, while senior Evan Olsen played a strong game on the defensive side.

"We played with a little bit of passion today and that was really a good sign. It's unfortunate that the season is ending because we're starting to really find ourselves and hit our stride. We're getting closer to becoming a more consistent team," Rogers said.

The game took an unruly turn in the 87th minute when Baron forward Peter Herrmann drew a red card after committing a hard foul on the Mountie goalie. Two Mt. Aloysius players retaliated and each received red cards. One minute later, another Mt. Aloysius player was given a red card for an elbow to the face of Baron midfielder Jace Vansteenburg. A fourth player and the Mounty head coach were dealt red cards and ejected from the game for excessive complaints to the referees following the earlier cards.

With seven players remaining for Mt. Aloysius and ten for Franciscan, midfielder Brian Bobak scored the Baron's lone goal on the night and his first of the season: an unassisted shot from twenty yards, which, with 50 seconds remaining on the clock, resulted in the final score of 3-1.

Overall, Rogers said the Baron's final game was a demonstration of the team's improvement throughout the season. He added that despite frustration, the men's true character was exemplified in their perseverance through the frustration of another loss.

"When you've only won one game during the season, everybody is a little bit frustrated that we can't convert. But the frustration never reaches the level where we're going to react badly. I was really encouraged by the way they responded after the red cards, because nobody got involved and they all pulled together," Rogers said.