Thiel 10, Franciscan 8
Franciscan Starters
Mary Bohli, Annie King, Grace Deegan, Joanna Hilkert, Christina Haug, Margaret McKee, Riley O'Brien, Katheryn Brehm, Ashley Morisey, Elizabeth Dudas, Theresa Lyle & Goalkeeper - Rose Kane
Thiel Starters
Carrizales, Boyd, Wightman, McKeever, Seman, Wightman, Kendall, Aaron, Johnson, Jones, Van Zandt, & Goalkeeper - Liggett
How It Happened
The Barons needed a bounce back after a tough loss at Grove City. A win today would plant the Barons 3rd in the conference. The Barons had to battle tough competition, high winds, rain, and hail. In the end a couple of miscues were the small difference that lead to the Barons two point loss.
In the first quarter, goals from Grace Deegan and twice from Joanna Hilkert gave an early 3-1 lead. Tomcats' Wightman and Johnson were tough to guard, and capitalized on free position shots bringing the game back to even by the end of the first quarter.
The Barons turned up the heat in the second quarter. They did a better job with draw controls, putting them on the attack for most of the quarter. Grace Deegan scored her second goal of the game, and Annie King added two goals, the second coming on a man up opportunity. Going into halftime, the Barons were leading 6-4 and looked in control.
In any sport it's the small little plays or small runs that decide the game. The Tomcats saw a small run in the third quarter. Their defense forced two shot clock violations from the Barons, while Wightman and Johnson continued to be a threat on the offensive end. The Tomcats outscored the Barons 4-0 in the third quarter, giving them a 2 point lead heading into the final quarter.
Grace Deegan is one of the most dangerous free position players on her team and possibly the conference. Leading into the fourth quarter, her last two free position shots she went for a high shot over the goalies shoulder. The first two attempts went high and sailed out of play. Today the third time was the charm. The first goal of the quarter went to the Barons off a free position shot by Grace Deegan. For the third time in a row she went for a high shot. This time she found success going over the goalies strong side, right shoulder. This goal brought the Barons to within one. The Tomcats' Wightman answered with back-to-back-to-back draw controls and scoring one of the next two Tomcat goals. She extended their lead to 10-7. Annie King intercepted a long midfield pass, cleanly grabbed the ball out of the air, and beat everybody downfield. She found her longtime teammate Grace Deegan who scored her fourth goal of the game. This brought the Barons to within two at 10-8. Riley O'Brien won one of the most important draw controls of the game, but the Barons were unable to produce any high quality attempts. Joanna Hilkert made two last second shot attempts, but the Tomcat goalie saved them both. The final scored was 10-8, and the Barons fell to 2-2 in PAC play.
Inside the Numbers
-Grace Deegan lead all scoring with 4 goals
-Annie King had 2 goals
-Joanna Hilkert's back-to-back goals were her 2 goals for the day
-Katheryn Brehm lead the Barons with 2 assists
-Annie King lead the game in caused turnovers with 4 adding 4 ground balls
-Rose Kane had 12 saves
Who's Next?
Franciscan returns home Wednesday against the defending PAC Champions in Washington & Jefferson. The Presidents ended the Lady Barons season last year, so the team will be up for the revenge match for sure. Washington & Jefferson is 4-4 thus far this season with a 2-0 PAC record. One of their non-conference wins is also against Allegheny, who will be joining the PAC next season.
Baron Summer Camps
Franciscan University Athletics is partnering with Steubenville Conferences to offer summer sports camps in conjunction with the Steubenville Main Campus 1 (June 9-12th, 2022) and 3 (June 23-26th, 2022). Youth Conferences. Participants will be able to strengthen both their athletic skills and their relationship with Christ in this uniquely Franciscan hybrid experience. Men's and Women's Lacrosse are just a couple of the sports that will be included, check out more info on our Baron Summer Camps Page.
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