Franciscan 2, Kenyon 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 Barons went on the road to face Kenyon College in an historic competition. Last week, Kenyon was voted as the #5 team in the nation by the coaches poll. This match-up is the highest ranked NCAA opponent any Franciscan program has scheduled and faced in the regular season. 
    Ryan Miller opened up the scoring with a PK in the 22'. A 1-0 lead must go a long way to calm any nerves from the caliber of opponent you're facing. Or, maybe I'm wrong. Maybe, these guys marched in knowing this is exactly how it was going to go. Maybe, they knew just how hard they worked, how hard they prepared, and how much Kenyon should be worrying about them. Either way you look at it, a 1-0 lead at half feels great, and a 2-0 lead with only 20 minutes remaining in play feels even better. Lucas Cross continues his break neck scoring rate off of his main set up guy Julien Freeman. 
    The relief of a late 2-0 lead vanished quickly. Kenyon's Duratovic scored on a PK 30 seconds after Cross' goal. They scored again in the 81' minute to tie the game up 2-2. The hot sunny day began to wear and the remaining time became a grind for who could gut out and will themselves over the opposition. 
    Time in regulation was running out and the PA announced the seconds remaining, "10". The Barons were on a counter attack hoping one last shot could get through, "9". Schriner made a run and blew passed the defenders, "8". The long pass was way out in front and bouncing off the ground, "7". The Kenyon goalkeeper got aggressive and came out of the net to try and beat Jonathan to the ball, "6". Schriner got there first and had a difficult but incredible opportunity to get a game-winning goal, "5". His attempt went wide 5ft. 5 feet and 5 seconds from defeating the #5 ranked team, and I think my heart skipped 5 beats watching during the remaining "4", "3", "2", "1".
    These Barons are a force to behold and hopefully take this performance into their Mount Union match-up to grab their first win against the Purple Raiders.

Inside the Numbers  
-Aiden Miller recorded 4 saves
-The Barons had a very low 8 shots total on the game
-Atkinson, A. Miller, and Rubino each received their first yellow cards for the year

Who's Next?
Franciscan will continue non-conference play on the road, as they travel to Mount Union on Wednesday. The Barons are in search of their first win in program history against the Purple Raiders, as they are 0-1-1 in their previous two meetings. Last season they fell to them by a score of 3-1. It would be a tie game after Ryan Miller's penalty kick goal with less than 30 minutes to play, but the Purple Raiders would add on two more goals to win. All three of their goals came from Carter Hancock, who returns for a fifth year and looks to be their top offensive weapon again in 2024.

Men's Soccer Fall ID Camp
Franciscan Men's Soccer is excited to offer an ID camp for aspiring college athletes on Sunday, November 17th. 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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