Franciscan 6, Saint Vincent 0
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
Coach Ridenour thought this game was going to be a defensive battle. Both the Bearcat and Baron systems are defensive minded. Up until last night, opponents have struggled to score multiple goals against the Bearcats. However, the Barons had no such problems.
The Bearcats started with the ball. They made a few passes in the attacking midfield zone before Atkinson intercepted a pass and cleared it away. That was the first time a Baron touched the ball. The Bearcats resumed control and started to press the ball across midfield. A long backwards pass sailed over the Bearcat defender and rolled out of the back-line giving the Barons a corner kick twenty seconds into the game and having only touched the ball once.
Ryan Miller took the corner as the second Baron to touch the ball. His kick placed the ball high right in front of the net.
Jonathan Schriner rose above the pack and headed it in. One touch, two touch, goal and the Barons immediately went up 1-0.
Thomas Sweet found Cross to sneak in a second goal just before halftime to put the Barons up 2-0.
In the halftime interview, coach was pleased with not allowing a goal but felt that the team as a whole was not playing to their potential. Whatever speech or halftime adjustments that were made got through to the players. They quickly tallied goals in the second half. The most impressive part of the performance was the teamwork and passing. In the post-game interview coach described how "these forwards are one of the most unselfish group of guys I've coached". The Barons registered two assists on three goals with nine total assists on the six goals. In each of those double assist goals the second guy had a decent look to score, but chose to extend the play and find his teammate.
Lucas Cross netted another pair of goals bringing his season total to 10 and tied for third in the nation in total goals. He is just two goals behind the current two leaders.
Somehow a team that coaches acclaim their unselfishness also has a player in the top of the nation in goals. Two facts that create a headache for opposing defenses.
Inside the Numbers
-For the first time this year all three forwards (Freeman, Schriner, Cross) netted a goal
-Schriner's 3 assists are a career high
-Sweet's assist was his first on the year and second of his career
-St. George, Rubino, Cross, and R. Miller each tallied an assist
-A. Miller recorded 2 saves in his 4th shutout of the season
To keep up with everything Baron soccer related check out the Franciscan Men's Soccer podcast found on their YouTube channel. Watch episode 2 down below.
Who's Next?
Franciscan will continue PAC play at home on Saturday, as they play Chatham at 1:00 p.m. The Barons are 3-1 all-time against the Cougars, including a pair of wins over the last two seasons. In 2023, the Barons netted a pair of second half goals with
Lucas Cross and
Joseph St. George each finding the back of the net. Jaz Mautone had three saves which would be enough to secure a shutout. The Cougars enter conference play with a 2-3-2 mark. They were able to secure wins over Marietta, like Franciscan, and Pitt.-Greensburg.
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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