STEUBENVILLE, Ohio – A goal in the sixty-eighth minute from freshman Joseph Duran and a number of late scoring chances fell just short of completing a comeback effort in Baron soccer season opener.

After a 0-0 first half against Waynesburg University, Franciscan let in two goals in three minutes in the middle of the second half, putting the team into a situation where last year they would have typically crumbled. Instead, the 2013 version of Baron soccer was able to gather its composure, pull within one goal, and almost tied-up the game in the final minutes.

"Last year when we got down, we would abandon out game plan and individuals would try and do too much," Head Coach Ward Rogers said. "These guys didn't panic. What they tried to do is get the game under control."

It was two long balls over the top of the defense that gave the Yellow Jackets control of the game starting in the fifty-first minute. Both Waynesburg goals started with Baron defenders playing a ball in the air a little too aggressively, leaving opposing attackers an a path to the net.

The first over-play led to a shallow angle goal from the close left side of the net, the second to a pressured breakaway down the middle of the field.

"We made a couple of mistakes going for balls that we should've been a little more conservative with," Rogers said, adding that the low, setting sun made it difficult to judge how the ball was falling in the second half.

Duran brought the Barons back within one with free kick from around five yards outside the top left corner of the 18-yard penalty box. From there freshman Joseph Francis, sophomore forward John Imbimbo and Sophomore midfielder Edwin de St. Aubin gave FUS a handful of scoring opportunities but weren't able get the tying goal.

"That's part of this process of learning how to win. You have to set yourself up and put yourself in position to win. We did that very well," Rogers said. "The next thing to do is to own that critical moment with you go forward and actually win the game."

Being in position to win is a significant step forward for Franciscan who lost to the same Waynesburg team 5-1 last season and lost many of their games by more than one goal.

The play of three freshman: Duran, Francis, and midfielder Cuyler Ledyard, gave the team a boost in talent and energy, while captains Jesse Saltarelli and Peter Mooney helped keep the team level and organized throughout the game.

The Barons will look to take the step in learning how to win while on the road on September 4 at 7 pm against Geneva College.