NCAA Tournament - First Round
Franciscan (13-1-5 | 7-0-3 PAC) vs. #19 Ohio Northern (13-3-4 | 7-1-1 OAC)
Saturday, Nov. 16th | 3:30 p.m.
Kienzle-Hylbert Stadium | Granville, Ohio

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The Latest
- Franciscan Men's Soccer won their second conference championship in program history by winning the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) Championship last Saturday with a 2-1 win over Grove City. Franciscan was picked to finish third in the PAC via the Preseason Coaches' Poll, but they proved them wrong with an undefeated conference record to earn the #1 seed and eventual championship.

- Julien Freeman opened up the scoring in the closing minutes of the first half to give the Barons a 1-0 lead at halftime. A little over a minute into the second half, Aidan Henninger headed in the second goal of the game off a pass from Joshua Atkinson. The Wolverines answered three minutes later to pull within one, but the Barons locked down on defense to hold them scoreless the rest of the way. 

- The winner of this game will take on the winner of #14 Denison and Anderson on Sunday at 3:00 p.m. in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament
 
Scouting the Polar Bears 
- Ohio Northern earned an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament. With a 7-1-1 OAC record, they hosted Otterbein in the OAC Semfinal last Thursday. They were able to beat them in the regular season 3-1, but the Cardinals would advance in a shootout after a 1-1 tie held for 110 minutes. 

- They have a very balanced offensive attack with nine players that have scored three or more goals this season. Senior Ryan Sommerfeld leads the team with eight goals and seven assists for 23 points thus far.

- This is the 13th time that they have made the NCAA Tournament, and the third season in a row. Last season, they advanced in a shootout over Lynchburg in the First Round, and then took down #1 Messiah 1-0 in the second round. They then fell 1-0 to #16 Colorado in the Regional Semifinals. 

- Their longest run in the NCAA Tournament came in 2012 when they were the National Runner-Up. 

Common Opponents
-The Barons and Polar Bears played five common opponents over the 2024 season. Both teams beat Muskingum and Marietta. They both tied Capital and lost to Mount Union. The Barons have an edge, as they tied #5 Kenyon, and the Polar Bears lost to Kenyon. 

Representing in the NCAA Tournament
- Franciscan Men's Soccer is looking to become the first PAC member school to win since 2014. That is when Thomas More, now NCAA Division II, took down North Park 3-2 in 2OT. The most recent win by an active, PAC member institution came in 2008 when Westminster beat Hunter by a score of 2-0.

- The last Franciscan team to win an NCAA Tournament game came during the 2015-16 season. Men's Tennis beat Grove City 5-2 in the First Round of the Division III Men's Tennis Tournament. 
 
All-PAC Honors
- Eight Barons earned All-Conference honors this week, tying the 2022 team for the most Barons honored in a season in program history. Ryan Miller was named PAC Defensive Player of the Year, and Brent Ridenour was named PAC Coach of the Year, the first Baron coach to ever be named Conference Coach of the Year.

- Ryan Miller, Lucas Cross, and Joseph St. George earned First Team honors. Julien Freeman, Zachary Muldoon, and Aiden Miller were named Second Team All-PAC. Jonathan Schriner and Augustine Rubino earned Honorable Mention All-PAC honors. 

- Jonathan Schriner, Joseph St. George and Ryan Miller, join an exclusive club of Barons to be named All-Conference four times throughout their career. They join All-American, Leo Herrmann, Nick Miller, and Joe Duran as the only six players to achieve that feat in Baron uniform.
 
Cross Made History 
- With three goals in the PAC Semifinal, Lucas Cross passed Assistant Coach & All-American Leo Herrmann for most goals in a season by a Baron. Herrmann scored 19 in 2017, and Cross now has 20 in 2024. 

- His 20 goals are 6th most by any player in all of NCAA Division III this season, and his 1.11 goals per game is third best in the nation.

- With 81 points thus far in his three-year career, he sits at fourth most in program history. Herrmann's 162 in his 69 game career still sits atop the program rankings. Assistant Coach Nick Miller sits in third with 90 points over his five-year career.
 
Goal Goal Goal 
- The Barons have scored 3 or more goals in 10 of their 18 games thus far this season and hold a 10-0-0 record in those matchups. Their 3.05 goals scored per game is best in the PAC. They have allowed under one goal a game, 0.95 to be exact, to give them a 2.10 margin which is best in the conference as well.

- 3.05 goals per game is 9th most in all of NCAA Division III, and The Barons +40 goal differential is 8th best in the nation.

- Four Barons are among the Top five players in points in the conference. Lucas Cross (1st, 44pts), Ryan Miller (T3rd, 26pts), and Julien Freeman (T3rd, 26pts) represent the Barons on this list.
 
No Goals for You
- The 2024 Barons set a program record with eight shutouts this season. Zachary Muldoon, Kolbe Rice, Joseph St. George, & Joshua Atkinson have been consistent starters on the backline that have worked well together all season. Also you cannot take any credit away from out talented midfield and Aiden Miller in net. 
 
Experience Matters 
- The Barons have 16 upperclassmen on their postseason roster, eight of which played minutes or started in the 2022 NCAA Tournament. Zachary Muldoon, Joseph St. George, Joshua Atkinson, Lucas Cross, Ryan Miller, Aidan Henninger, Augustine Rubino, and Kolbe Rice were the players that appeared in that Championship victory.

- Muldoon scored the lone goal for the Barons in their 4-1 loss to #1 Messiah. Ryan Miller and Augustine Rubino also recorded shots on goal in their first trip to the NCAA Tournament.
 
The Coaches 
- Franciscan's Brent Ridenour brings a wealth of experience to the Barons. This will be his 11th trip to the NCAA Tournament. In this trip, he will face his alma mater where he is in their Hall of Fame for his prolific playing career. Upon graduation, he was the program's leading scorer with 56 goals, now he sits tied for second. 

- Ridenour coached the Polar Bears for 21 seasons and is his 308 wins is the most by a coach in Ohio Northern history. This will be the first time a former ONU coach has played them as the coach of the opposing team. They have only had three coaches since 1975, like the Pittsburgh Steelers.

- On October 4th at Westminster, Head Coach Ridenour became the 8th current NCAA Division III Head Coach to eclipse 350 wins. In his 25th season as a collegiate Head Coach, fourth at Franciscan, he has secured his 25th consecutive season with a record of .500 or better. 

- Ohio Northern is coached by Chris Matejka, who is in his sixth season at the helm. He has won 69 games thus far and has won one OAC Championship ('23). Matejka was the captain of the 2012 National Runner-Up team that was coached by Coach Ridenour. That season he was named an All-American by D3soccer.com and OAC Midfielder of the Year. 

Men's Soccer Fall ID Camp - MOVED TO MONDAY
Franciscan Men's Soccer is excited to offer an ID camp for aspiring college athletes on Monday, November 18th. 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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