Franciscan 14, Allegheny 20

Franciscan Starters 
Sydney Naidu, Dorothy Newman, Maria De La Torre, Kiera Wilson, Elizabeth Lyle, Emmagrace Brierly, Carolyn Cooke, Theresa Lyle, Nadia Pinsonault, Annie Lewis, Gianna Dinoto, & Goalkeeper - Mary Smith 

How It Happened 
    Franciscan faced the Allegheny College Gators at home yesterday. Last year, the Gators lost in overtime in the PAC semifinals. Since joining the PAC the Gators have never lost to the Barons. 
    The Barons struggled out of the gate to win draw controls. The Gators scored on their opening three possessions before the strong Baron offensive attack even had a chance to touch the ball. Toward the end of the 1st quarter, midfield play picked up and the offense began seeing possessions. This took pressure off the young and inexperienced defense, and the Barons immediately began seeing results on the scoreboard. The Barons got on the board before the end of the quarter, but in the second quarter they outscored the Gators 5-3 and closed the gap by halftime. 
    The key to the game became midfield play and the Barons defensive end. Newcomer Maria De La Torre became a force on defense in the second half. Each possession her man had the ball she would disrupt the offensive set and burn 20-30 seconds off the shot clock as the Gators struggled to just hang on to the ball. The Barons tied the game at 9-all, but gave way a little on defense, so instead of being up or tied going into the fourth they were looking at a two goal deficit.
    With the Barons short on substitutions their legs began to feel it. Facing multiple man down and free position opportunities, they struggled to keep pace with the Gators in the 4th quarter. In the final period they were outscored 7-3. 

Inside the Numbers 
-Lyle and Dinoto each had 5 draw controls to lead the Barons
-Lyle had a game-high 9 points off 5 goals and 4 assists
-De La Torre caused a staggering 5 turnovers and picked up 5 ground balls
-Mary Smith recorded 11 saves

Up Next
Franciscan will continue PAC play at Chatham on Wednesday evening. The Barons are 3-2 all-time against the Cougars, as they look to continue their historical success on Wednesday. In 2023, they won 9-8 at Chatham in a thriller, including four goals from Grace Deegan. Chatham holds a .500 record with some close losses in non-conference play.

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