PAC Championship
#1 Franciscan (12-1-5 | 7-0-3 PAC) vs. #3 Grove City (11-3-3 | 7-2-1 PAC)
Saturday, Nov. 9th | 7:00 p.m.
Trinity Health System Field | Steubenville, Ohio

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The Latest
- The Barons took on #4 Allegheny on Wednesday evening in Steubenville in the PAC Semifinal. Lucas Cross scored three goals in the first half to give Franciscan a 3-0 lead at the half. Joseph St. George added some insurance with a goal early on in the second half. The Gators would add a pair of late goals, but the Barons would secure the win 4-2 to advance to the PAC Championship for the third time in the last four seasons.

- 12 wins ties their win total from the 2023 and 2022 seasons. With a win on Saturday, they would tie their program record of 13 wins that they achieved in 2019 with a 13-4-2 record that season.
 
Scouting the Wolverines 
- Allegheny earns their way into the Championship after a 1-0 win at #2 Geneva on Wednesday evening in the PAC Semifinal. They hosted #6 Washington & Jefferson in the PAC Quarterfinal last Saturday and defeat them 4-0. 

- They are 5-0-1 in their last six games. They tied Waynesburg 1-1 in their regular season finale 1-1, while the other five games have all been shutouts. Their last loss came against Franciscan by a score of 3-2 on October 16th. 

- In that earlier matchup against the Wolverines, Lucas Cross and Jonathan Schriner scored in the opening half to give Franciscan a 2-1 lead at the half. Ryan Miller add insurance in the 70th minute, which proved to be necessary, as the Wolverines netted a second goal in the final seconds.

- The Wolverines have had 14 different goal scorers this season. No one on the team has scored more than Noah Gray (8). Teddy Almeter has been steady in goal all season with seven shutouts and two combined. His .814 save percentage is best among starting goalies in the PAC.

- Franciscan is 2-7 all-time against the Wolverines with an 0-1 record in PAC Tournament games against them. Grove City is in search of their first PAC Men's Soccer Championship since 2005.
 
Cross Makes History
- With three goals in the PAC Semifinal, Lucas Cross passed Assistant Coach & All-American Leo Herrmann for most goals in a season. Herrmann scored 19 in 2017, and Cross now has 20 in 2024. 

- 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. Their 3.111 goals scored per game is best in the PAC. They have allowed under one goal a game, 0.94 to be exact, to give them a 2.17 margin which is best in the conference as well.

- Four Barons are among the Top 10 players in points in the conference. Lucas Cross (1st, 44pts), Ryan Miller (3rd, 26pts), Julien Freeman (6th, 24pts), and Jonathan Schriner (10th, 14pts) are all in the Top 10.


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 PAC Championship. Benjamin James, 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.

- Rice scored the game-winning goal in the 2022 PAC Championship. Het netted a goal in the final seconds of the first half to give Franciscan a 2-0 edge. Bethany netted one second half goal, as the Barons held on to win their first conference title in program history.

- Ryan Miller, Joshua Atkinson, Joseph St. George, and Justin Fioramonti all played in the 2021 PAC Championship. Bethany beat Franciscan 3-1 at Trinity Health System Field, as they have experienced a Championship on both sides of it. 
 
The Coaches
- Franciscan's Brent Ridenour is in search of his ninth Conference Championship. He then won the 2022 PAC Championship with a 2-1 victory over Bethany at Trinity Health System Field. He won seven Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) titles over his 21 seasons at Ohio Northern. In 2012, the Polar Bears won 25 games, as they made it all the way to the NCAA National Championship Final. 

- 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. 

- Mike Dreves is in his 19th season at the helm for Grove City. He has accumulated 196 wins in his career with over 100 of those wins coming in PAC contests. He was named PAC Coach of the Year in 2022 and is in search of his second PAC Championship as a coach. He also helped the Wolverines win the 1996 PAC title in his senior season as a player.

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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