Franciscan 1, Otterbein 0

Starting XI 
Catherine DeWolf, Elise Doyle, Teaghan Elmore, Elise Winogradoff, Eva Dexter, Maria De La Torre, Anni Winogradoff, Lillian Torbeck, Mara O'Leary, & Goalkeeper - Rebekka Dill  

How It Happened 
    The Otterbein Cardinals came into today's game as a top ranked opponent. They were undefeated, third in the region, and received votes to crack the national top 25. They looked like a team that is top in the region. They possessed the ball well and fired a barrage of shots toward the Baron goalkeeper. The Cardinals put up 15 shots in the first half and 11 in the second. That compared to the seven total shots from the Barons. 
    What's surprising was for a team that was dominating ball possession they were firing shots from beyond the 30yd line. The Barons veteran defenders and midfielders formed a wall in the middle of the field. The Cardinal forwards had a hard time getting anywhere near the box in the middle of the field. As the Cardinals kept settling for low-quality shots, Barons' Dill kept effortlessly scooping them up.
    The game went into the half tied 0-0. The Cardinals continued firing shots from deep in the second half without any real threat of giving up a goal. However, late in the second half Elise Winogradoff had the ball in the midfield on the left sideline. She fired the ball deep into the Cardinals' zone and over to the right side. Freshman Eva Dexter controlled the ball and beat two defenders. She continued the play and beat the goalkeeper. The women held onto that lead and only allowed a single shot from the Cardinals for the rest of the game. 
    As the clock hit zeros, the Barons walked onto the field, shook their opponents' hands, stretched, and then sang their traditional worship song after every game. Even though it was their first win of the season, coach Miller's first win in his coaching career, and against a highly ranked opponent, they still won with poise and classiness as a Franciscan team should. This program has had a rich history of catholic culture with their team motto of playing for something greater. A motto started many coaches ago and continued by first year head coach Nick Miller.

Inside the Numbers  
-Dexter had a team-high 4 shots
-Dill recorded 11 saves

Who's Next? 
Franciscan will remain at home to start PAC play on Wednesday night against Saint Vincent. The Barons are 3-6-1 all-time against the Bearcats, as they played each other twice last season. In the regular season, the Bearcats won by a score of 4-0. They met again in the PAC Quarterfinals, and it would go to a shootout. The Barons would advance with all five of the Barons finding the back of the net, and Rebekka Dill being able to save one. The Bearcats are off to a hot start in non-conference play this season with just one loss. That loss was to Pitt.-Greensburg, who also defeated the Barons.

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