Franciscan 21, Chatham 14

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

How It Happened 
   The Chatham Cougars found a way to shut down Joseph James holding him to 2 points and rode that advantage to a 21-14 win over the Barons. Tonight was the Barons final home game of the year. They came in tied with Chatham in the conference and needing the win to increase their chances of their first ever playoff berth. 
    The Barons jumped out to a quick 4-2 lead, then Chatham answered back to tie the game 4-4 after the first quarter. In the second quarter, the Cougar midfield took over the game. They began the quarter with 5 unanswered goals. It felt like the Barons went through all of them never touching the ball on offense. The Cougars were winning almost every faceoff. It turns out the best way to guard Joseph James is to never let the ball get in his hands on the offensive end. Masso and Nathaniel Carter attempted to stop the bleeding and get momentum back in the Barons favor with a pair of goals, but the two goals were not enough. The Cougars scored eight more unanswered goals. The Barons tried to call a timeout and regroup, but the men looked defeated and Chatham was exuberant on the field and on the sideline.
    Coach Pete must've had one heck of a halftime talk. The Barons marched back out with the moxy they started the game with. They outscored Chatham 5-2 in the third quarter. If you're looking for an energizing and motivating play from an upperclassmen it doesn't get much better than Richard Vale's goal late in the third. After stopping a high quality attempt from the Cougars, Vale charged up field. While looking for a player downfield he spotted the goalkeeper not paying attention. Vale heaved the ball toward the goal from his own defensive end. The ball sailed the full 3/4 of the field, took one bounce, and hit the back of the net. The goalkeeper was busy coordinating with a defensemen and couldn't believe his eyes when he turned from all the shouting to see a ball lying in his net. 
    I thought that might be the boost the Barons needed to complete the comeback in the fourth quarter. Indeed, the Barons gave it a great effort, but they needed the Cougars to break in confidence and/or discipline to overcome their second quarter debacle. The Cougars failed to break and held on long enough to prevent any more ground being given. 
    
Inside the Numbers 
-Cook had a team-high 5 goals
-Marshall led the team in points and assists (7, 6)
-Redmond had 7 ground balls
-Vale recorded 14 saves

Up Next 
Franciscan will return to action at Bethany on Wednesday night at 7:00 p.m. The Barons are 4-8 all-time against the Bison, including wins in their last two meetings. Last season, they won by a score of 12-4 with four goals from Alexander Dhabliwala on Trinity Health System Field.

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