Franciscan University Barons Athletics

Franciscan 1, Bethany 2

Starting XI 
Catherine DeWolf, Elise Doyle, Teaghan Elmore, Elise Winogradoff, Eva Dexter, Anni Winogradoff, Maria De La Torre, Abigail Parker, Lillian Torbeck, Brenna Pereira, & Goalkeeper - Rebekka Dill  

How It Happened 
    The first half was a blank. Neither team was willing to cede the first goal. Dill had a comparably easier time than the Bison goaltender accomplishing that in the first half. Dill only had to make one save while the Baron forwards put three shots on goal for the Bison goaltender to stop. 
    It wasn't until the second half when legs began to tire that the scoring opened up. The Bison were the first on the board just five minutes after the half break. The Barons answered in the 71' off a corner kick opportunity. Kierra Wilson got her foot on the ball and registered her first career goal. 
    Controversy struck just a few minutes later. On a transition, Dexter made a run and received a long pass. She raced past the two defenders marking her, took one touch, and delivered the ball to the net. Fans and teammates screamed in excitement as the Barons took the lead with only 20 minutes remaining in regulation. A win here would give them 9 PAC points firmly placing them in fifth place just one point behind fourth. But hold on, the faint whistle of the official was drowned out by the celebrating. The AR signaled offside. Dexter was clearly behind the last defender and behind the ball as she raced past everyone, but unfortunately, no video replay in Div III soccer. The goal was waved off and the women had to brush off the crushing feeling of that emotional roller coaster. The Bison didn't wait for the Barons to re-calibrate. They scored their second goal on a restart after a yellow card to the Franciscan bench. Down 2-1 the Barons offense was stifled. They were unable to register a shot for the remainder of regulation. 
    The win for the Bisons vaulted them out of eighth place, over the Barons, and into fifth leaving the Barons in seventh just one point out of the sixth and final playoff spot. The Barons have five more opportunity to gain ground in the PAC standings and make the playoffs.

Inside the Numbers  
-Dill recorded 4 saves
-DeWolf had a team-high 2 SOG

Who's Next? 
Franciscan returns home to take on Thiel on Saturday, October 12th. It will be Senior Day in Steubenville, as six Barons will be honored before the game. The Barons have had the Tomcats number over the years, as they are 11-1 against them dating back to 2009. Last season, the Barons won 9-0 with a hat trick from Tania Davidson. They are still in search of their first PAC win of the season, as they head to Steubenville on Saturday.

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