TERESA DULAC
STAFF WRITER
The Franciscan University of Steubenville FATAL ultimate flying disc team started off the semester with a 20-13 win against Carnegie Mellon at its Saturday Night Lights event at 9 p.m., Aug. 31.
Before the game began, supportive fans enjoyed a social which featured walking tacos, root beer and a DJ. Fans of all ages received “Baron Rally Towels” which were later used to create waves of white whenever the Franciscan Ultimate team did well.
Once the disc came into play, the Barons started off strong, going from playing defense to scoring the first point of the game. The team members played fast and light on their feet, never letting the opposing players get ahead. By the end of the first quarter, Franciscan was up 8-4.
“Well, the team’s doing fantastic,” said onlooker sophomore Nathan Martin. “We’re throttling the other team.”
At halftime, the score was 13-6, with Franciscan still holding the lead.
A running clock drove the last two quarters of the game, and a flurry of offense and quick transition throws kept Franciscan ahead at the end of the third quarter, 16-9. Carnegie Mellon managed to score in the final seconds of the game, but the Franciscan FATAL team still walked away with its first win of the semester.
“It felt a little raw at times,” said head coach Ian Gill, “like a lot of raw talent, not a lot of refinement. … But I have so much hope for the season because if we can put up numbers like this, this early on with only having two practices, I mean, that’s pretty solid — against a Division One team that is competitive in Division One in the Ohio Valley Region. We play Division Three, so with a great opponent like them, it was really nice to showcase our talent against a worthy opponent.”
Gill said he was proud of the school for the great turnout and for all the fans who went to support the team. “It was the most fans I’ve seen at a sporting event,” he said.
“You can put up some big plays, which I think the guys did a couple times. … It was great to put on that kind of show and show some explosive offense,” said Gill. “I think they handled the pressure well, so I’m really proud of the guys for doing that.”
Franciscan FATAL’s season is off to a strong start, and the team’s schedule is yet to be determined.