Franciscan 0, #19 Ohio Northern 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
For the second time in program history, the Franciscan Barons qualified for the NCAA tournament. This senior and junior class has seen both of those games. Two years ago, the Barons won the automatic qualifier (AQ), by defeating Bethany in the PAC championship. They drew the #1 ranked team and host school Messiah. Thanks to a strong non-conference schedule and strong performances, the Barons were ranked significantly higher in the eyes of the selection committee. The NPI rankings are a new metric installed by the NCAA this year. The Barons finished the year ranked 60th. It's not possible to know for sure where that measures up to past season, but it's subjectively easy to state this is the the highest finish Franciscan has ever finished. For round 1 of the NCAA tournament we drew the #19 team the Ohio Northern Polar Bears.
From the rip the Polar Bears were in full press mode hoping to grab an early one goal lead. The Barons spent the better part of 15 minutes stuck in the defensive zone. That constant pressure eventually broke through the Franciscan defense, and the Polar Bears went up 1-0. As the half pushed forward, the Barons found a way through the pressure and began getting looks in the attacking zone. Going into the half, coach wanted some crisper passing to counter the defensive pressure and look to win more 50/50 balls to help flip the field.
In the second half, the Polar Bears press only lasted a few minutes. The Barons were able to figure out the scheme and get out of the defensive end. After the Barons made a few good runs, the Polar Bears backed off slightly respecting the Franciscan attack.
With minutes winding down The Barons racked up multiple high quality chances to tie the game. With eight minutes remaining,
Lucas Cross broke through and had a 1v1 with the keeper. The Keeper came out to take the angle away and took the shot attempt straight in the chest. A couple minutes later Muldoon found an open lane and fired one toward the net. That shot was saved, and then St. George gathered the rebound and put another shot on net. One minute later, the Barons were on the attack and both Schriner and Rubino had scoring opportunities. Once again, the Polar Bears defense managed to squeak a foot or the keepers hand in the way and stop the score. With the announcer counting down the final ten seconds, the Barons made one final push to tie the game before time expired. Rubino headed the ball and the ONU keeper had to dive to make the save. With an open net and a free chance, Cross came flying in from the side and got a foot on the ball, but his attempt sailed wide with just 1.6 seconds remaining.
Inside the Numbers
-Barons were out shot 13-23
-Cross, Schriner, and Muldoon led the Barons with 3 shots
-A. Miller recorded 10 saves
Who's Next?
That concludes the 2024 Men's Soccer season. Continue to follow the men's soccer team by subscribing to the Franciscan Men's Soccer YouTube channel and catch episodes of the Baron Broadcast hosted by alum Kenny Graff. They will continue to post content for the soccer team throughout the offseason.
https://www.youtube.com/@Franciscanmenssoccer
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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