STEUBENVILLE, Ohio—FUS men's soccer struggled mentally in a difficult second half which saw all the scoring in a 8-2 loss to non-conference opponent Geneva College.

The beginning of the second half saw FUS and Geneva tied 0-0. With freshman forward Leo Herrmann out due to injury for much of the half, the Barons had few scoring opportunities, but they began the second half ready to fight for a win.

In the 50th minute, Geneva found a spot in the center of the Baron defense for their first goal, but the Barons returned fire less than 30 seconds later with a goal by senior midfielder Jesse Saltereli assisted by junior defender Michael Sherman.

With the Barons energized by the quick turnaround, things looked promising for Franciscan until a foul in the penalty box led to another goal for Geneva.

"That was an unfortunate point in the game that really hurt us a lot," head coach Ward Rogers said. "Our defense and midfielders played too hard to basically hand them a goal. We aren't in the habit of quitting when we're down, but for some reason this goal sort of deflated us."

Shortly after, a very physical foul by Leo Herrmann drew a yellow card and injured one of Geneva's forwards. The game was halted for 20 minutes for the injury, a delay which took its toll on Franciscan's mental resolve, especially when Geneva scored off the ensuing penalty kick, raising the score to 3-1.

The following six minutes were grueling for the Baron defense as Geneva put ball after ball in the net, racking up three more goals. Now down 6-1, FUS struggled to regain their composure.

"Give or take a few subs, the guys held them off the board for 50 minutes," Rogers said. "How could they not hold them off the board for 10? It has to be mental fortitude. We're learning and have the elements to be a really good team. It's just that last little step we have to make. When we're playing really good teams we have to realize that a little letdown can turn the game and we can't think negatively."

Although unable to return from the setback, the Barons fought to regain some dignity, pushing Geneva back into their end of the field several times in the last 20 minutes of the game. Forward Leo Herrmann had two good scoring chances but was brought down by defenders, the second time drawing a foul that led to Franciscan's second goal, a penalty kick by junior midfielder John Imbimbo.

"This is John's third year of taking all of our penalty kicks," Rogers said. "He hasn't missed a single kick in any of those three years. We just like to keep that string going." He added, "We also have to recognize Leo. He went strongly into the box and really earned that goal."

Rogers said that bright moments like this show what the team is made of but that it was the passing accuracy and the constant strain on the defense that decided the game.

"The best defense in the world, can't play defense for 90 minutes," Rogers said, adding that the team needs to focus on the accuracy of their clears in order to prevent a quick turnover. "When we string some passes together we threaten their goal, but we just never do that enough."

In spite of the loss, Rogers said the team must pick themselves up.

"These situations are when our faith really comes in. If we profess the faith, we really need to have faith that we can weather the storm."

The Barons' next game is at 3:30pm on Sunday, September 7 at St. Vincent College.

"We have a lot of games to go and a lot of promise," Rogers said.