STEUBENVILLE, Ohio – The Allegheny men's soccer team was unable to overcome a pair of early Franciscan goals as the Gators fell 4-2 to the top-seeded Barons in the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) Semifinals Wednesday (Nov.6).
The Barons got on the board in the third minute when they headed in a free kick to the far, lower post. Franciscan scored their second goal in the 19th minute, this time unassisted on a shot inside the box.
Will Gruca (Baden, Pa./Ambridge) nearly cut the lead in half in the 29th minute, but his shot went just over the crossbar.
Renen Frank (Bethesda, Md./Walt Whitman) and
Micah Khembo (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Catholic) followed up with shots shortly after that also just missed the mark.
Late in the half, the Barons tacked on one more goal to lead 3-0 at halftime.
In the second half, Franciscan scored on another close opportunity in the 56th minute.
Colin Elder (Pittsburgh, Pa./Fox Chapel) got the Gators on the board in the 77th minute, Elder took the ball and dribbled through a slew of Baron defenders before scoring on a low shot from the far post to the near. The goal was Elder's first of the year.
Will Gruca (Baden, Pa./Ambridge) cut the lead in half nine minutes later. The sophomore took the ball and dribbled it about 15 yards to the top of the box and scored on a shot to the lower post, cutting the deficit to 4-2. The goal marked the sixth of the year for him.
The Gators kept the pressure up late, but it was not enough as they fell 4-2 in the PAC semifinals.
Inside the Box
- The Barons scored first half goals in the third, 19th and 34th minutes. Lucas Cross netted all three goals.
- Franciscan added a goal in the 56th minute.
- Elder scored his first goal of the year in the 77th minute, unassisted.
- Gruca scored unassisted in the 86th minute.
- Cadan Bennett (Gibsonia, Pa./Pine-Richland) made three saves.
- The Gators owned a 15-12 advantage in total shots.
News and Notes
- The Gators advanced to their first PAC Semifinal match since rejoining the conference in 2022.
- Brady Napoleon (Pittsburgh, Pa./Mount Lebanon) finished the season with a program record 18 goals. He also moved into third in season points with 38 and third in all-time goals with 32.