Franciscan 3, Westminster 1

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

How It Happened 
    Ryan Miller scored his fourth PK goal of the season for the game winner in what is coach Ridenour's 350th career win. 
    The first half was a close contest. Westminster was mustering more opportunities than what the Barons were expecting coming into the game. The reason, midfielder's weren't winning 50/50 balls especially off goal kicks. What is normally a dominating strength for the Barons was a weakness for a spell during the first half. Even though balls weren't being won in the midfield, thankfully, the defenders were on top of their game and made any attempt the Titans had a low-quality shot. The men went into the half tied nill-nill. 
    The focus for the second half was unsurprisingly the midfield. The veteran midfielder's rose to the occasion and blanked the Titan's from gathering any momentum on their attacking end. Any Titan run was short lived, and the Barons lived on their attacking end for most of the second half. 
    Cross got the first goal on a counter attack. He chased a long ball deep on the right side of the net. With a very shallow angle and inside 20yds right of the goal, he sailed the ball over the goalkeeper into the right side of the net for the first goal of the game. Shortly after, Cross had the ball in a threatening position dead center of the field and just beyond 20yds. His scoring threat drew the attention of three defenders. He played the ball on the ground through a narrow gap of two them to Rubino streaking down right middle field from behind Cross. He took a touch at the edge of the penalty box, but the Titans came from behind with a slide tackle. The referee called a foul which sent Ryan Miller to take his fifth PK of the year. Miller put the Barons up 2-0. Later in the half, the Titans scored off a Baron mistake that left Aiden Miller 1 on 1 with Titans' Fernandez. Fernandez scored in what would be their only goal on the game making Ryan Miller's PK the game-winner.
    With just over 10 minutes remaining and only up 2-1, the Barons were facing enormous pressure from the Titans who were trying to play quickly and catch the Barons out of position again and tie the game. Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice...isn't gonna happen for the veteran Baron players. Ryan Miller placed the ball near the back line as Schriner was making a run. There was a defender in position, so there was no hope of taking a touch and getting a shot or pass off from where he was. Schriner took advantage of the passive Titan defender and fired the ball at his shins which deflected out of bounds giving the Barons a corner kick. Ryan Miller's corner kick was from the left corner. He placed the ball high and to the left about 5 yds away from the goal to the back of the pack standing in front of the net. Aidan Henninger met the ball a head above everyone else. His header was a dart straight to the top right corner of the net. His goal put the Barons up 3-1 and effectively put a nail in the coffin. 
    In less than 30 years, coach Ridenour has managed to eclipse 350 wins. Never in his coaching career has he had a losing season. It is an impressive mark to sustain success continuously for so long. Before the game, he reminded me that it isn't about him. A selfless mindset that his players rally around. After the match his only comment on the moment was, "this is the most exciting win of my career, because it's the most recent, and the next one will be even better than today." This teams focus is not on the individual accolades, but rather the team success that they all know they are capable off. This year is continuing to shape up to be a special year. There are six conference games remaining in the regular season and only two of them are home. If you haven't had a chance to watch these guys play, don't miss the next opportunity to see them in person or watch a stream.

Inside the Numbers  
-Henninger's yellow is his first of the season
-Cross's goal is his 13th of the year
-Ryan Miller's goal and assist brings him to 12 points on the year
-Aiden Miller registered 3 saves 

Who's Next?
Franciscan will continue PAC play on the road at Bethany on Tuesday, October 8th at 4:00 p.m. The Barons are 8-6-4 all-time against the Bison, including a thrilling tie last season. Franciscan held a 2-1 lead at half, but then the Bison would score three goals in a row to start the second half. Joseph St. George and Aidan Mahony scored late goals to secure a 4-4 tie. The Bison are in search of their first win of the season as they take on Chatham on Saturday before Franciscan on Tuesday.

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

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