Franciscan 14, Mount Union 12

Franciscan Starters 
Luke Reimer, Alex Ahmann, Joseph James, Jeofre Strandhagen,  Sam Smith, Gavin Cook, Samuel Marshall, Dominic Miraglia, Joseph Redmond & Goalkeeper- Richard Vale II  

How It Happened 
   Franciscan finishes their non-conference games with a big win over Mount Union. This non-conference season we have seen many of the usual matchups. Coming into today, the Barons were sitting at 6-2 with some resounding victories over LaRoche, Anderson, and Mt. St. Joseph. Those wins were expected, but today the Barons faced an formidable opponent. These teams have only met twice before, and the Barons faced defeats both times with a total goal margin of 33.
    Today, that was not the case. In one of the strongest starts in his career Strandhagen dominated the faceoff circle early. The Barons controlled the ball well and the offensive capitalized on the high quality opportunities. At the end of the 1st quarter, the Barons had a 4-1 lead and Mount Union players were stunned. The onslaught kept coming for two more quarters, before a passionate plea from the Mount Union coach sparked his guys. The purple raiders switched up their faceoff player and found immediate success gaining possession. They scored 5 unanswered goals in just a handful of minutes. If you left the TV or went to the concession stand when there was a seven goal lead, you came back and Mount Union was down one looking to tie.
    Up only one goal with under five minutes remaining, Joseph James broke free from the defense and fired a wide open shot on net. The goalkeeper took the shot right in the middle of his chest and it bounced off him to the other side of the goal. James Masso was standing there waiting. The ball fell right into his pocket and he effortlessly tossed it to the back of the net. His goal was the winning goal and a dagger for the visiting opponents. All the excitement from their players, bench, and coaches instantly deflated. A minute later, Sam Marshall took a 60 yd pass from his goalkeeper Vale and scored one more goal for good measure. The Barons held onto their lead and walked away victorious over the Purple Raiders for the first time in school history.
    
Inside the Numbers 
- James James scored 6 more points off 4 goals and 2 assists
-James also had a game-high 8 ground balls
-Luke Reimer had a career-high 4 caused turnovers
-Richard Vale II recorded 13 saves

Up Next 
Franciscan will remain at home to take on Saint Vincent next Wednesday, as they begin PAC play against the Bearcats. The Barons are in search of their first win all-time against the Bearcats. Saint Vincent is off to a slow start after a very tough non-conference slate.

Stay Connected 
Be sure to follow Franciscan Athletics on YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook for the most in-depth coverage.