STEUBENVILLE, OHIO - Survive and advance, the Barons earned the sixth and final seed into the PAC Playoffs, and they have taken full advantage of the opportunity. They advanced in a shootout over #3 Saint Vincent, and most recently, they defeated #2 Westminster by a score of 2-1. All that stands in their way of winning their first PAC Championship is #1 Grove City. They will take on the Wolverines at 1:00 p.m. at Grove City on Saturday.
Offensive Duo
With her goal in the PAC Semifinal,
Juliana Rubino moved into second all-time in program history in points with 82. She passed Ashley Ruttencutter '14, and only trails her teammate
Tania Davidson, who has 98 points over her three-year career. With two points, she will join an exclusive group of few players in PAC history to eclipse 100 points in women's soccer. Their 59 points this season is the second most by a pair of teammates in the PAC this season.
Defense Wins Championships
Rebekka Dill has notched seven wins this season with six being shutouts. In four of those shutouts, she has had two or fewer saves, as the Barons have played strong team defense all season.
Teaghan Elmore has logged the most minutes on the team this season with 1,494, as she has been a steady presence on the back line all year.
Lillian Torbeck has also started in all 17 games with over 1,200 minutes played in her best season to date.
All-Time Against the Wolverines
The Barons are 2-5-1 all-time against the Wolverines since their first meeting in 2015. Grove City won their first five matchups, but Franciscan has had the edge in their recent matchups. Last season, the Barons beat the Wolverines twice, once in the regular season and in the PAC semifinal, by a combined score of 10-2. In the matchup this season, these two teams tied 3-3. The Wolverines scored three first-half goals to take a 3-0 edge into the break.
Tania Davidson broke the shutout with a goal in the 51st minute, and
Juliana Rubino netted a pair of later goals to result in a draw.
Impressive Outreach
The Barons have 33 players on the 2023 roster who come from 15 different states and one different country.
Teaghan Elmore (Tostared Sweden / Aranasgymnasiet) is the Baron who traveled the farthest to attend Franciscan. Grove City also has a roster of talented players from across the United States, including a player who traveled farther than Elmore, Holly Grose (Kailua, Hawai'i / F.H.S.A.A.).
Family Matters
The Barons have three sets of sisters on the 2023 roster with all six seeing significant minutes as of late.
Juliana Rubino and
Bella Rubino are second and third in scoring for the Barons this season.
Tania Davidson as mentioned earlier is joined by her older sister,
Juliana Davidson, who has started for the Barons as of late. Last but not least,
Gabriella De La Torre and
Maria De La Torre have logged the most minutes in the midfield this season.
The Coaches
Franciscan Head Coach
Sarah Salamida is in her fourth year at the helm for the Barons. The reigning PAC Coach of the Year is making her third trip to the PAC Postseason, and she has had success away from Steubenville with a 3-0 mark in away playoff matchups. She is looking to lead Franciscan to their first-ever PAC Championship in women's soccer. Grove City Head Coach Melissa Lamie is in her 31st season as Head Coach of Grove City. She is the all-time winningest coach in PAC women's soccer history with over 350 so far. She has won seven conference championships, and they are in search of their first title since 2018.
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