Franciscan 2, Geneva 2

Starting XI
Zachary Muldoon, Kolbe Rice, Joseph St. George, Augustine Rubino, Anthony Venditti, Jonathan Schriner, Julien Freeman, Joshua Atkinson, Benjamin James, Ryan Miller, & Goalkeeper - Aiden Miller

How It Happened 
    A lot was riding on tonight's game. Going into the night the Barons sat in first place one PAC point ahead of the Geneva Golden Tornadoes with Grove City knocking on the door at three. The survivor of this matchup would most likely fall to third unless for some wild reason Grove City doesn't get a win against Waynesburg. Before the 7pm start news of Grove City tying Waynesburg meant that the Barons had a lock on the 2 seed. So for Franciscan a win or a tie locks the top seed and guaranteed home field advantage, while a loss drops them to two and only promised a semifinal host.
    The Barons got off to a uncharacteristically slow start. They allowed two very quick back-to-back goals in the first half. Geneva's stout defense has only allowed one goal total from any PAC school, so even the potent Baron offense had its work cut out. 
    The first goal came in the second half. Atkinson fired a shot from his center-back position. His shot was off, but in the scramble to gain control of the ball the Golden Tornadoes fouled inside the box awarding the Barons a PK. Penalty kicks are strenuous enough for goalkeepers, but when Ryan Miller steps to the ball it's nothing less than dismaying. Ryan is one of the All-time Franciscan greats at PK attempts, goals, and percentage and he didn't disappoint. He put the Barons on the board scoring his fifth PK goal of the season and eleventh of his career. 
    Both of these teams are defensive-minded teams and that shows in the stat column. Each team finished the match with an incredibly low shot on goal numbers. Down only one goal now with 35 minutes still left on the clock, which must have felt like an eternity for the Tornadoes, the Barons still needed that sense of urgency. With so few opportunities to be had every touch, play, and ball had to be perfect. The Geneva keeper fell on a Baron long ball as the clock ticked to under a minute. He took his time getting up and surveying the field before punting it as deep as he could. Admittedly, I didn't think we were going to get another chance and the clock would wind down, but every disciplined athlete knows to play to the final buzzer. The Baron midfielders immediately corralled the keeper punt at midfield. They pressed forward and the Geneva players sank back to protect their lead. This left keeper Aiden Miller able to push the ball uncontested past the midfield line. He served the ball into the box. Freeman got his head on it and bounced it to Ryan Miller. Miller buried it into the back of the net with only 10 seconds remaining. 
    The miracle last second goal forced the tie. The Barons finish the regular season undefeated in PAC play and atop the standings heading into the postseason. This Franciscan team will go down as one of the greatest teams in program history. This senior class is already the most winning-est class Franciscan has seen. These guys have a perfect combination of talent, discipline, poise, and determination. These qualities are echoed by coach. I asked him about his thoughts of the game, the season, and the upcoming postseason, and he gave me this response, "I'm very proud of our effort tonight. Geneva is a great team and very difficult to score against. We never stopped playing hard and were able to tie it up at the end. We are going to enjoy finishing in first in the conference and will begin preparing for the tournament." There is an excitement that comes after a great effort like tonight, but these guys have much greater ambitions they're focused on.

Inside the Numbers  
-Ryan Miller scored both Baron goals
-Aiden Miller recorded 3 saves

Who's Next?
Franciscan earns the bye into semifinal, where they will await the winner of the #4 v. #5 quarterfinal. They will host them at Trinity Health System Field at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, November 6th. This is the fourth year in a row that the Barons have hosted a PAC semifinal, and they look to make it to their third PAC Championship game in just as many years.

Men's Soccer Fall ID Camp
Franciscan Men's Soccer is excited to offer an ID camp for aspiring college athletes on Sunday, November 17th. The camp is open to athletes entering 9th-12th grade this Fall. Participants will have the opportunity to receive training from the men's soccer coaching staff as well as interact with current players. Campers will participate in a typical Franciscan training session and gain an understanding of the competitive and challenging environment of collegiate athletics. For more information and to register click here

Stay Connected 
Be sure to follow Franciscan Athletics on YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook for the most in-depth coverage. If you haven't watched already, you can find the most recent episode of the Barons Broadcast below.