Franciscan 12, Muskingum 13

Franciscan Starters 
Katheryn Brehm, Laura Rodriguez, Lillian Vale, Brooke Biagi, Bronwyn McGovern, Carolyn Cooke, Kiera Wilson, Ashley Morisey, Margaret McCarron, Veronica Sims, Theresa Lyle, & Goalkeeper-Caroline Racca

How It Happened 
   A wave of penalties and a 4th quarter comeback from the opponent led to the first Home loss to the Muskingum Fighting Muskies. The Barons jumped out to an early three goal lead, but that lead was quickly answered. For 40 minutes of play every time the Barons took a one or two goal lead the opponents found a way to answer and stay in the game.
    Late in the third quarter, Brehm put the Barons up two, then Biagi scored back-to-back goals to end the third and start the 4th. With just one quarter of play remaining, it felt like the Barons were going to sit on a four goal lead and walk away with their first win. Just as I started feeling that disaster struck. Biagi was given her second yellow card of the day which led to a disqualification. The Barons were without a substitute for her, so had to hamstring themselves and pull a defenseman into the midfield. A lot of credit is due to those midfield players. Already worn out from a close game fought in brutal conditions had to traverse the entire field with every change of possession, and they needed to do it quick. With defensive positions pulled up, any quick transition led to a momentary man advantage for the Fighting Muskies. The visitor scored a few quick ones, but the Barons held on to the one goal lead for most of the 4th quarter. They were only one minute away from victory before Muskingum's Clifton scored the tying goal.
    In overtime, Morisey won the draw control, then the Barons fired a flurry of shots to try and win, but all of them were diverted or swallowed up by the goalkeeper. The visitors eventually gained possession and quickly transitioned down field. They used their temporary numbers advantage to get a quick high quality look that they converted and won the game just 2:20 into overtime.

Inside the Numbers 
-Biagi led the game with 11 Draw Controls. Her season average of 10 ranks her top 20 in the nation currently
-Brehm, Biagi, and Cooke each had hat tricks
-Morisey led all fielders with 5 Ground Balls

Up Next
Franciscan will make the trip to Florida for their next game over spring break. They will take on Ave Maria for the first time in the Sunshine State since 2019. The Barons are 0-2 all-time against the Gyrenes, as they look to earn their first win against this NAIA foe.

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