Evan Weber
Sports Editor
The Franciscan women’s soccer team completely shut down the Washington and Jefferson Presidents in a 2-0 victory Wednesday, Oct. 2 at 7 p.m.
Senior goalkeeper Rebekka Dill became the all time win leader with 24 wins, earning this tremendous achievement in front of a home crowd at Trinity field.
Barons came into this game following a resounding win against Chatham, and they hoped to continue their success against the Presidents. Franciscan faced difficult odds as Washington and Jefferson has historically been a fearsome opponent. The Barons have a 2-13 record against them all time.
But the Barons did not let the past define this game. Franciscan came out of the gate swinging with freshman forward Eva Dexter firing a volley of shots on the goal. The Presidents answered with a few shots of their own, but Dill didn’t let anything get past her.
With four minutes left in the first half, freshman defender Mara O’Leary found the ball during a corner kick and sunk it in the goal. With the whistle blown and the first half over, the Barons found themselves with a 1-0 advantage.
With Franciscan in the lead, the defense locked in and completely shut down the Presidents. There was no need to score any more points if the Presidents couldn’t score. Still, the Barons didn’t let up any of their offense.
Dexter continued her onslaught of shots, with one finally landing in the back of the net 82 minutes into the game. As the dust settled, the winner was clear. The Barons emerged victorious 2-0.
Overall, the Barons played well on all fronts to secure the win. Dill and the entire defense completely shut down the Presidents from even sniffing a goal.
The midfield controlled the tempo and enabled the forwards to be in scoring positions. This was a well-earned victory and a special occasion for Dill to make history.
The Barons now sit with a comfortable 2-1 record in the PAC. They will now go on a two game road trip, first facing Bethany College on Friday, Oct. 4 at 5 p.m. They will return home on Oct. 12 to face Thiel.