VERONICA ECKART
STAFF WRITER

On Wednesday, Sept. 12 at home, the Lady Barons soccer team lost 1-0 in a non-conference game against the Westminster Titans.
Beneath overcast skies, the Lady Barons took the field against Westridge, ready for an exciting match. The action began right away, with Westminster slipping past the Franciscan defense to make an attack on goal within minutes of the start of the game. The Lady Barons’ senior goalkeeper Sarah Luebking blocked the shot with an excellent save to keep the score at 0-0. She followed it up shortly with another save against the Titans in the 9th minute.
The Franciscan offense pushed ahead, responding with a shot from senior midfielder Elizabeth Dawyot that fell just wide of her mark. However, this momentum pushed the Lady Barons forward, and Dawyot’s efforts were continued by junior midfielder Katie Killian, who also fired a bold shot on goal but was stopped by Westridge’s goalkeeper.
Though both teams made attempts on goal, neither was able to cash in on them, and the scoreboard remained blank for most of the first half. With five minutes left in the half, Westminster took a shot on goal and broke the tie.
The Lady Barons continued to play hard in the second half, but they were unable to even up the score before time ran out. Luebking made an amazing five saves throughout the match, topping Westridge’s goalkeeper, who had only three to her name.
Unfortunately, the Lady Barons did not succeed in getting the ball past the Titans’ defenses and into the net. Neither team scored in the second half, and the match closed with a final score of 1-0.
“Westridge had one good opportunity and put it in the back of the net,” said Head Coach Bernardo Gonzalez after the game. “It’s not about who has the most opportunities but who finishes them. We had a lot of opportunities, but Westridge was just a little bit better at finishing them than we were today.”
The Lady Barons look to improve their record and pick up the pace going into the season at their next home game on Saturday, Sept. 15 at 1 p.m. against Geneva College.