Franciscan 14, Thiel 15

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

How It Happened 
    Coming into last night's game, the Barons had a chance to cement their spot in the PAC playoffs. A win versus Thiel would have improved their conference record to .500 and launched them into 5th place with a tiebreak over Thiel plus a nice cushion against Allegheny from catching up. To fully clinch playoffs the Gators would have to lose their match and the Barons win. 
    The Gators did their part and the Barons played one of their best games to try and do their part, but fell to a quick score in overtime. With only a few minutes left in the 4th quarter, the Barons were down two goals. Their standout midfielders and attackers locked in and dominated the final draw controls ensuring they had the chance to close the gap. Goals from Kiera Wilson, and shortly after, Gianna Dinoto equated to a late small comeback to force overtime. Unfortunately, that midfield momentum did not carry over into the extra period. The Tomcats won the draw control and immediately turned it into a goal during the sudden death period. 
    The Barons are still currently in playoff position with a two game lead over the Gators, but the Barons face second place W&J, while the Gators have two games remaining with favorable matchups against Geneva and Bethany. To cap off a great performing season, the Barons need to either defeat the Presidents or hope Allegheny drops one of their two remaining games. 

Inside the Numbers 
- Dinoto's 7 goals is the second best goal performance in Baron history and is currently 2nd in the PAC in goals/game
- Dinoto grabbed 9 draw controls improving her per game avg. and retaining her PAC lead
- Mary Smith recorded 10 saves in her second best game performance of the year

Up Next
Franciscan will conclude the 2025 regular season on the road at Washington & Jefferson on Saturday. The Barons are in search of their first PAC win over the Presidents, but it will be a tall task, as they are in the midst of another strong season. They have secured the #2 seed with just one conference loss so far this season, as this will be their final regular season contest as well.

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