Franciscan 6, Saint Vincent 2

Franciscan Starters 
Tania Davidson, Mary Wieszczek, Teaghan Elmore, Anni Winogradoff, Juliana Rubino, Theresa Ryan, Gabriella De La Torre, Angela Postage, Abigail Parker, Bella Rubino, & Goalkeeper - Bri DeChristopher   

Saint Vincent Starters
West, Klingeeman, Persin, Galvin, Mack, Ely, Stamm, Grewal, Lamborne, Garman, & Goalkeeper - Arnold

How It Happened 
     Strong winds swirled around on a Saturday afternoon as the Barons faced the Saint Vincent Bearcats. This was the last home game of the regular season, and the team formed two lines in the middle of the field. It was time to celebrate our senior players and their accomplishments. The seniors were: Claire Salyer, Emily Gerlach, Caroline Franklin, Mary Rooney, and Bella Rubino. Each senior, along with their family or in one case, household sisters, walked between the gauntlet of cheering players and coaches. It was a special moment to recognize the impact each graduating player had on the team. The Barons wouldn't be the same without them. For this special occasion, all seniors were in the starting lineup. The referee gave the signal, and the match began.
    Twenty seconds into the game, the Saint Vincent Bearcats rushed the goal and scored, 1-0. It would be the last time they would ever lead. Early on, the Bearcats put enormous pressure on the Baron's defense. As they struggled to gain balance, midfielder Gabrielle De La Torre came away with a steal. She passed the ball to center field, finding Bella Rubino for the Baron's first goal. 5 minutes later, Claire Salyer breaks away and scores another goal. Only 12 minutes in, and the Barons already lead 2-1. The lead would only grow from there.
The Bearcats continued their lightning-quick offense, sinking another goal, tying the score 2-2. It would be their last goal of the entire game. The Barons weren't fazed, as they unleashed a torrent of goals. Only 2 minutes after the Bearcat's scored, star forward Juliana Rubino cashed one in with an assist from Mary Wieszczek. Tania Davidson sprinted past the Bearcat's defense and her shot arced towards the net. While the goalkeeper attempted to block the attempt, the ball crossed the goal line, making it Barons 4-2.
    What ensued was an intense back and forth. 27 minutes in, PAC Goalkeeper of the Week Bri DeChristopher saved the ball from a dangerous Bearcat's corner kick. The Baron's continued to put pressure with multiple shot attempts. Anni Windograff passed the ball to Bella Rubino in the midfield. The senior hit an absolute bomb. The ball skyrocketed over the goalkeeper to find the net. 4 minutes later, Bella's sister Juliana Rubino scored another goal with a header from Angela Postage's corner kick. The Barons lead 6-2, and it's not even the second half yet.
    The Barons started the second half strong with yet another goal by Bella Rubino. The midfielder put on a masterclass, completing a hat trick in 6 shots. What a fitting way to celebrate our seniors! The Baron's defense overwhelmed the Bearcats for the next 30 minutes, limiting them to just 6 shot attempts the entire game. The Barons, on the other hand, had 23.
    With 12 minutes left in the game, Tania Davidson put the Bearcats to bed with her second goal of the game. The Barons won the match in a staggering 8-2 fashion. It was a joyful day for the team, celebrating the achievements of our seniors along with a fantastic victory.

Inside the Numbers  
- Senior Bella Rubino scored her first hat-trick of her career. 
- With two goals, Tania Davidson tied Kendra Evangelho's 2008 season with 17 goals, the most all-time in a season for a Baron. She is also now in a three way tie at 29 goals for most by a Baon over her career in program history.
- The Barons picked up their 10th win to give them double-digit wins for the first time since 2017.

Who's Next? 
Franciscan will conclude the regular season with a pair of road games next week. They begin at Geneva on Tuesday evening at 7:00 p.m. The Barons hold a 5-7-1 record in a close fought rivalry with the Golden Tornadoes over the years. Last season the road team won in the conference matchup in Steubenville. Tania Davidson scored a late qualizer, but then Geneva scored in the 89th minute to win by a score of 2-1. Geneva is having a bit of a down season, as they are in the bottom third of the league standings, but they will be ready to play the role of spoiler, so the Barons will need to bring their best on Tuesday to come out on top.

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