Franciscan 4, Allegheny 2

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 
    The Baron secured the top spot in the PAC playoffs as the regular season champs. With their top seed they were awarded a bye for the quarter final round while Allegheny was forced to go through Chatham before making it to the semifinal game. In their regular season meeting, Franciscan traveled to Meadville and defeated the Gators 5-1 with Lucas Cross scoring two goals.
    The Barons wasted no time getting on top the board. Rubino was fouled in the attacking midfield zone leading to a free kick. Ryan Miller served the ball deep into the zone to Lucas Cross. Cross just got a piece fo the ball on the side of his head and placed the header to the lower left corner and beating the keeper. That put the Barons up 1-0. The Barons are nigh-unbeatable when playing with an early lead. They have scored the first goal in all but two contest this season aiding in their 11-1-5 record.

    Cross doubled down and scored the second goal. He took the ball from the far left sideline, dribbled through five defenders through midfield, and buried his second goal of the evening.
    The third Baron goal, and eventual game-winning goal, came shortly after. Once again by Lucas Cross. I know it's a lot about Lucas Cross. There was field full of performers that were sharp and playing top notch soccer, so I promise that's the last time we'll mention him here. 
    Going into the half, the Barons led 3-0. A three goal lead in a semifinal game is something to be overly excited for, but the Barons weren't celebrating. They knew that Allegheny was one of the more potent offenses in the conference, and their top striker has been on a torrent scoring 14 goals in the final 7 games. In reality, it's 14 goals in 6 games, because in the middle of that stretch he faced our defense which held him to one shot and no goals. Never the less, a three goal lead with 45 minutes to play was nothing to feel comfortable with against the Gators.
   

The Barons rounded out their scoring with a goal from Joe St. George. He wove his way through multiple defenders somehow only taking one touch and beat the keeper low right. His setup was a no look heel tap from Rubino that has Manchester United leaving voicemails with coach. Now with a four goal lead and around 30 minutes left, the Barons felt a little more at ease. Their ease was in contrast to the Gators urgency and anxiousness. They managed to get a couple on the board, but far too late into time and no real chance of making it to four. While fighting to get back in it, Gators' Napoleon made an unsporting play that ended in a red card. His ejection and the Gators going down a man was one of many nails in the coffin.
    There was an extra bright spot in an already exciting day. With Cross' third goal, okay I lied this is the last time, he became the single-season record holder for goals scored at 20. He overtook his assistant coach Leo Herrmann who set the record at 19 his junior season in 2017. 
    The Barons look forward to their third trip to the PAC Championship in four years. This time, finally facing someone different than Bethany, they will host the #3 Grove City Wolverines.

Inside the Numbers  
-The Barons recorded 3 assists on their 4 goals (R. Miller, Freeman, Rubino)
-The defensive unit allowed only two shots on goal
-In their short history, the Barons remain undefeated against Allegheny

Who's Next?
Franciscan will host the 2024 PAC Championship Game against Grove City on Saturday, November 9th at 7:00 p.m. The Barons are in search of their second PAC Championship in program history and first since 2022. The Barons are 2-7 all-time against the Wolverines. Their second of the two came this season. In that matchup, the Barons won at home 3-2. R. Miller, Cross, and Schriner each netted a goal, while Grove City's defender #2 Merrick came off the bench to score two.

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