Photo by Caitlynn Carmona
Sarah Wandor
Staff Writer
The Franciscan University of Steubenville men’s soccer team triumphed over the Thiel College Tomcats in a 6-3 victory at home Tuesday, March 30, for the first time in Franciscan soccer history.
The Barons came out strong, scoring their first goal less than five minutes into the game with a perfect shot from junior defense Liam Nagle and an assist from junior midfield Nick Miller.
Four minutes later, senior midfield J.P. Bobak added to the score board with a goal from a penalty kick, putting the Barons ahead by two.
The Barons didn’t give up as they continued to make play after play with many opportunities.
Senior midfielder Sebastian Koehler let a shot rip after racing down the field with opponents close behind but it was saved by a Thiel defender. Another opportunity was made by junior forward Nick Cross who performed a perfect shot on net but was forced over the net by the Thiel goalie.
The Barons’ efforts paid off with six minutes to go in the first half when senior midfield Jair Mautone sent the ball to Koehler who took the shot and scored, giving the Barons a 3-0 lead over Thiel.
This wasn’t enough for the Barons and Koehler passed the ball to junior forward Mikey Irvin, who maneuvered around the Thiel defense and sent a shot past the goalie and into the back of the net for a goal, bringing the score to 4-0.
Thiel did not let the game slip away easily and played with more aggressiveness, earning two goals, which put them on the scoreboard.
The Barons stepped up to meet the challenge with a goal made a few minutes later by Koehler, who shot to the low corner after running past the defense, bringing the score to 5-2.
Not five minutes later, Koehler scored again, sending the ball just past the Thiel goalie with an assist from Bobak. However, Thiel was not done yet and with little time left, scored a third goal, leaving the final score at 6-3.
Head coach Christian Bobak praised the team and said, “It was good to see our team attacking in waves throughout the entire game. Huge credit also to Sebastian Koehler on his three goals and one assist performance.”
The Barons look forward to their next home game against the Westminster College Titans Saturday, April 17, at 1 p.m.