STEUBENVILLE, Ohio—Lady Barons soccer opened up Homecoming Weekend with a hard-earned 2-1 victory over the two-time defending AMCC champions, Penn St. Behrend. Not only did the Lady Barons defeat their Behrend Lion rivals who beat FUS 4-2 in conference playoffs last year, but the Behrend-Franciscan game also marks Behrend's first lost conference game in two straight seasons of conference play.

The three-man powerhouse made up of senior forward Julia Cocozza, senior midfielder Sarah Pettinger, and sophomore midfielder Elizabeth Krillich controlled centerfield play, winning balls and feeding the forwards opportunity after opportunity for shots on goal. 

"Across the board, I would really attribute this game to the quality of those three center mids," head Coach Clare McBane said.  "They were the difference in this game.  They worked together and helped to control the field, which gave us a lot more opportunities, especially for Hannah and Jordan to get up in the box and take those shots."

The Lady Barons fought hard to stay up in the box and junior Hannah Cooke and Cocozza used the energy from centerfield to score two goals during second half. Cooke beat the Behrend defense with a breakaway, scoring the first goal of the game, while Cocozza followed, scoring off a corner and putting the Lady Barons in the lead 2-1. 

Taking creative shots on goal and making corners count proved to be an important part of the win. 

"The amount of corners we got really speaks to our presence on that side of the field during the second half," McBane said.  "The girls were smart, cautious, intentional and very wise about where to place the ball and when to take those shots." 

Centerfield supported offense in taking those shots but relied heavily on the defense to keep the ball up top.  Junior defender Monica Dawyot consistently cleared dangerous balls out of center defense, keeping keeper Mallorie Garthwaite's workload to a minimum.  McBane said she wants the defense to continue to strive for perfection. 

"Monica wins all the balls out of the air. Her presence was made known today," McBane said. "But we're looking for the defense to not let even one goal in.  They broke down our defense in ways in which we've been broken down before. We're improving, but I want the girls to perfect it."

Overall, McBane said the Lady Barons came away with the win because they fought consistently to maintain their quality game.  Their hard work and dedication paid off in a big way.

"They just showed up to play today.  Their passing was the best it's ever been, their ball movement was fantastic, and they finished on their chances on goal," McBane said. "I'm really proud of them."

Now 7-4-1 overall and 2-1 in conference play, the Lady Barons will travel to play Penn State-Altoona on Wednesday, October 8th at 6pm.