Box Score STEUBENVILLE – The Franciscan men's soccer team dropped a heartbreaking 2-1 game to fifth-seeded La Roche in overtime to bring the 2016 season to a close, Saturday afternoon.
After a record-setting season for the Barons in which they set the program win record and tied the program's record for AMCC wins, Franciscan earned the fourth seed in the 2016 AMCC tournament. Today's appearance marked the first time in school history the Barons would play in the tournament.
Earlier this season, the Barons defeated the Red Hawks 3-2, and today's game was just as close. La Roche was the first to strike, however, as Tyler Grebur used his head to score the first goal of the game as he took a high pass from Elliot Dick and headed the ball just out of reach of Franciscan's keeper, Thomas Dosedel, to give LAR a 1-0 lead 10:58 into action. The Baron backline regrouped after the goal and did not allow another shot on goal for the first half.
Franciscan got its first good look at the net six and a half minutes later, but junior Leo Herrmann's hard shot on goal was saved by the Red Hawk keeper, Austin Gorman. Franciscan did not let up the pressure, however, and accounted for the next two shots of the game and a corner kick.
The Franciscan backline continued to protect its keeper and blocked a shot from Pedro Ansede, which proved to be La Roche's last shot of the half.
After the break, the Red Hawks took the first two shots of the period but Gruber's shot went wide and Dosedel made a diving stop on a shot from Tom Spagnola. The Barons quickly took possession following Dosedel's save and put pressure on the La Roche goal. Herrmann's first shot of the half went wide but the offense quickly regrouped and got the ball back to Herrmann's feet but his shot was stopped by Gorman.
In the 63rd minute, Herrmann and senior Joseph Duran had two of the best looks of the afternoon as Duran on-timed it on goal but Gorman deflected the ball back into play and Herrmann got a foot on hit but the Red Hawk keeper was able to recover and turn Herrmann away.
In the 80th minute, the tides began to turn and after a Red Hawk shot went wide, Dosedel sent the ball deep over the midline off the goal kick and Herrmann found himself in a one on one with a Red Hawk defender. Herrmann gained control of the ball and dribbled right past the only defender on him to create a clear shot on net. Positioned to the left of the goalie about 15 yards out, Herrmann sent a rocket under the goalie's hands in the bottom right corner to tie the game at 1-1. The goal was Herrmann's 18th of the season, but more impressively, his 50th for his career as a Baron
With just over nine minutes to play in regulation. Both defenses kicked it into high gear. Franciscan got the final look on goal and Ian Baldau sent a ball high but Herrmann put a great shot on net with 16 seconds left and Gorman made an equally impressive save to keep the game tied and send it into overtime.
The Red Hawks got the only shot of the overtime period off as Ximo Vincent took a pass from Grebur and sent a hard shot just under the diving Dosedel to give the Red Hawks a 2-1win and a trip to the conference semifinals.
The Barons wrap up their historic season with an overall record of 10-7-1 and finished with a 6-3 record in conference play to earn the fourth seed.
Game Notes: Herrmann has a set a new standard in scoring for the Barons as he wrapped up his junior year with 41 points and now has 116 points in his career … Dosedel set the single-season shutout record for the Barons with four … the Baron defense set the program's single-season goals against average as they finished the year with a 1.80; previous best with 1.87 in 2009 … their 36 goals this year was just one off of the team's single-season mark … Dosedel and sophomore keeper John Bolster combined for six shutouts this season, setting the team's single-season record (the previous mark was four in 2008).
