#1 Messiah 4, Franciscan 1

Franciscan Starters 
Chris St. George, Joseph St. George, Mikey Irvin, Joshua Atkinson, Lucas Cross, Ryan Miller, Aidan Henninger, Nick Miller, Liam Nagle, Augustine Rubino & Goalkeeper - Jax Mautone

Bethany Starters
Groothoff, Johnson, Cristian, Lefever, Vollmer, Morlote, Brautigam, Swartz, McDonald, Lent-Koop, & Goalkeeper - Pavlovich

How It Happened 

The Barons won their first PAC title this year and advanced to the NCAA tournament for the first time in program history, after they were predicted to finish 5th before their season even started. The Barons proved many wrong throughout their season and showed what it takes to build a winning culture and eventually win a championship.

Although the Franciscan Barons lost to the number one ranked team in the nation, the Messiah Eagles, they capitalized on an opportunity to score when Freshman midfielder Zachary Muldoon sunk the ball left between the posts just before halftime. The Barons kept it a respectable game against a team that blew out both its opponents in their conference tournament.

The win-loss column shows only the result but what it doesn't show is the hard work and grind that it took for these players to reach this point. After losing one of their season leading scorers late in the season, the Barons persevered through many obstacles over the course of the past few months. Their resilience, perseverance, and Christian attitude fueled their competitiveness, and it helped carry them past their competition.

For the Barons to overcome these obstacles, they were led by strong veterans who had sharp performances on the field. Veteran players like midfielder Nick Miller who recorded nine goals on the season was an instrumental factor in many of the wins for the Barons and Veteran goalkeeper Jax Mautone who locked it down all season with a 0.773% save percentage. Both vets helped provide the backbone to the Barons championship team.

But it wasn't all just veteran leadership. Newcomers and younger players stepped up this season to help give an extra boost to the competitive advantage for the Barons. Sophomore midfielder, Jonathan Schreiner burst onto the scene with seven goals this season including a game tying goal in the semi-final playoff game and two game winning goals during the regular season. Freshman newcomers, Augustine Rubino, and Zachary Muldoon both had four goals on the season and enhanced many runs downfield during games.

This is what separated the Barons from the other teams in the PAC. The ability for veterans to radiate their leadership, experience, and wisdom to other players. The Barons bought in to their gameplan every game, the had faith in each other, and ultimately the had faith that God would watch over them all season long. This is just the beginning for the Barons and now many players will use the lessons and experiences they learned this year as fuel for seasons to come.

Inside the Numbers  
- Muldoon scored the lone goal in 20 minutes of action off the bench.
- 18 different Barons saw action in today's game.
- Mautone had 11 saves for Franciscan. 
- Messiah out-shot Franciscan 36-9.

Men's Soccer ID Camp
Franciscan Men's Soccer is excited to offer an ID Camp for aspiring college athletes on Sunday, November 20th, 2022. Participants will have the opportunity to receive training from the men's soccer coaching staff, as well as interact with current players. Players will participate in a typical Franciscan training session and gain an understanding of the competitive and challenging environment of collegiate athletics. For more information click here

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