Franciscan 3, Randolph-Macon 1

Starting XI
Benjamin James, Kolbe Rice, Joseph St. George, Augustine Rubino, Jonathan Schriner, Joshua Atkinson, Lucas Cross, Ryan Miller,  Aidan Henninger, Dominic Doyle, & Goalkeeper Aiden Miller

How It Happened 
    After a an incredible 2022 season finishing the regular season as the #2 seed and defeating Bethany College in a Championship rematch from the year prior, the Barons have a good mixture of highly skilled young talent, a couple four and five year veterans, and some sophomores and juniors that played major roles in the Championship level success the team has seen. Coach Ridenour took his highly successful program and invaded south into the state of Virginia on a campaign expanding their territory of victory.
    Their first game in Virginia was against Randolph-Macon. Randolph-Macon had a 9-6-3 record last season losing in the ODAC quarterfinals. The Barons were without 5th year Jax Mautone for this game, so young Aiden Miller took the net. 
    Randolph-Macon got on the board first scoring 6 seconds after a restart proceeding a double yellow card. Shortly after Joseph St. George tied the game at 1. Aiden Miller stayed busy in net for most of the remaining first half. It wasn't until the last five minutes of first half play the Barons gained firm control of the field and put up three shots before the end of the period. 
    There must have been an awakening in the locker room during halftime. For the second half the Barons came out in firm control of the game. Freshmen Anthony Venditti and Lucas Cross each nabbed a goal. Miller had to see two shots on goal in the second half. He recorded both as saves, and the Barons held on to their 3-1 lead and begin the year 1-0.

Inside the Numbers  
-The Barons bench contributed one goal (Venditti) and one assist (Thomas Sweet)
-St. George and Venditti led the Barons in shots with 2
-Aiden Miller recorded 5 saves
-Augustine Rubino, Joshua Atkinson, Ryan Miller, and Aidan Henninger all played the full 90 minutes

Who's Next? 
Franciscan will remain busy in Virginia, as they travel to Hampden-Sydney to take on the Tigers on Saturday morning at 10:00 a.m. They are a member of the Old Dominican Athletic Conference (ODAC) alongside Randolph-Macon. This will be the second game of the year for them as well, as they will play Greensboro on Friday afternoon. Last season, they made it to the ODAC semifinal while posting a winning record. 

Men's Soccer ID Camp
Franciscan Men's Soccer is excited to offer an ID Camp for aspiring college athletes on Sunday, November 19th, 2023. 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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