ERIE, Pa. – A tough opponent on the road proved to be too much for Baron soccer in their first conference match of the season. The FUS men lost 7-1 against Penn St. – Behrend, a perennial contender for the conference championship.

Head coach Ward Rogers said that while Franciscan's mindset and game plan were solid heading into the game, the Lion's speed took the Barons by surprise and made it difficult for the team to execute.

"We spent the week working on passing faster and making quicker decisions," Rogers said. "It worked in practice but when we got here they were so much faster that it just wasn't working out."

Rogers said that once Franciscan realized the speed of their opponent, the team tried to adjust but couldn't do so quickly or effectively enough to change the tide of the game.

"We had some success getting the ball in critical areas of the field," Rogers said. "But when we got into those areas they closed us down so fast that we had trouble moving the ball out of that area."

The Barons' lone goal came from a well-placed free kick from sophomore midfielder Edwin de St. Aubin. The kick came in the thirty-ninth minute, from 24 yards out and pulled Franciscan within two goals but that was as close as the Barons would get.

Rogers said that his team did play well for periods throughout the game, and did a better job sticking to the their strategies than they did last year when they lost to Penn St. – Behrend 7-0.

"At times we were able to possess and break them down but that doesn't translate to results," Rogers said. "We can't be satisfied that we played 20-30 good minutes in a 90 minute game. We realize that it's all part of learning but we need to be more concentrated on results."

Franciscan will look to rebound and win their first conference match of the year against Pitt – Greensburg at home on October 1 at 2 pm.