GREENVILLE, Pa. (pacathletics.org)--Second-seeded Franciscan University posted a 2-1 victory over No. 5 Bethany College in the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) Men's Soccer Championship Tournament title match Saturday night at Trinity Health System Field in Steubenville. 

This is the first-ever PAC title for Franciscan (13-3-4). It was the second-straight year Franciscan hosted Bethany in the league's championship tournament title match. Last November, fifth-seeded Bethany posted a 3-1 victory at second-seeded Franciscan to claim its PAC-best 31st conference championship. 

Bethany (9-7-5), the PAC's defending champion, was making just its second appearance in the title match since 2010. 

As the winner of the year's championship tournament, Franciscan will also receive the conference's automatic qualifying bid to the NCAA Division III Championship. It will be Franciscan's first-ever trip to the Division III Championship. The PAC is one of 43 conferences granted automatic qualification (Pool A) to the Division III Championship. Selections for the 64-team Division III Championship will be announced Monday, Nov. 7 at 1:30 p.m. First and second round matchups are scheduled for Friday-Sunday, Nov. 11-13.
 

Saturday, November 5

PAC Championship Tournament [Title Match] No. 5 Bethany at No. 2 Franciscan Trinity Health System Field--Steubenville, Ohio

Result: Franciscan 2, Bethany 1 Box score

Franciscan jumped out to a 2-0 first half lead... Graduate student Nick Miller (Galena, Ohio | Olentangy) scored on a penalty kick in the 39th minute... It was his sixth made penalty kick of the season... Senior Kolbe Rice (Steubenville, Ohio | Catholic Central) pushed the Barons' lead to 2-0 with just 12 seconds remaining before halftime... Rice's goal came off assists from graduate students Nick Cross (Grand Blanc, Mich. | Everest Collegiate) and Liam Nagle (Manassas, Va. | Seton)... Bethany junior Sebastian Arrocain (Chivilcoy, Buenos Aires, Argentina | Campus Lincoln) cut the Franciscan lead to 2-1 in the 59th minute... Junior Jahzinho O'Garro (St. John's, Antigua | Princess Margaret) had an assist on Arrocain's score... Graduate student Jax Mautone (Kingston, N.Y. | John A. Coleman) made six saves for Franciscan... Junior Adis Salihovic (Dallas, Texas | Lake Highlands) had one save for Bethany... Bethany registered a commanding 21-9 advantage in shots and held a 7-3 edge in shots on goal... Franciscan took six corner kicks to Bethany's one... Nick Miller was named the championship tournament's Most Outstanding Player Saturday night... He also had a goal in Wednesday's 3-3 draw with No. 3 Geneva in regulation and converted on a penalty kick in the 3-0 shootout victory.

 

Tuesday, November 2

PAC Championship Tournament [Semifinal 2] No. 3 Geneva at No. 2 Franciscan Trinity Health System Field--Steubenville, Ohio

Result: Geneva 3, Franciscan 3 (2OT); Franciscan wins in shootout 3-0 Box score

Franciscan will host the league's championship tournament title match for the second-straight year after its semifinal win Wednesday... Geneva posted a 2-1 regular season over Franciscan in Beaver Falls on October 19... Geneva jumped out to a 2-0 lead after freshman Gabe Singh's (Valencia, Pa. | Mars) goal in the 33rd minute and freshman Will Dunda's (Sewickley, Pa. | Quaker Valley) goal on a penalty kick in the 39th minute... Dunda assisted Singh's goal... Down 2-0, Franciscan graduate student Nick Miller (Galena, Ohio | Olentangy) scored an unassisted goal in the 54th minute before graduate student Liam Nagle (Manassas, Va. | Seton) scored a minute and a half later off an assist from freshman Augustine Rubino (Ashburn, Va. | Stone Bridge) to even the match at 2-2... Junior Carnel Kerr (Flankers, Jamaica | Carlynton) gave Geneva a 3-2 lead in the 62nd minute with an unassisted score... Sophomore Jonathan Schriner (Bluffton, Ohio | Bluffton) tied the match at 3-3 in the 86th minute, scoring off of an assist from graduate student Chris St. George (Ashburn, Va. | Bishop O'Connell)... After a pair of scoreless 10-minute overtime periods, sophomore Ryan Miller (Galena, Ohio | Olentangy Berlin), Nick Miller and graduate student Mikey Irvin (Steubenville, Ohio | Catholic Central) all converted in the shootout... Franciscan graduate student Jax Mautone (Kingston, N.Y. | John A. Coleman) had one save for Franciscan... Senior Gabriel Kemp (Normalville, Pa. | Connellsville) posted four saves for Geneva... Franciscan edged Geneva in shots 14-9 and held a 7-4 advantage in shots on goal... Franciscan took five corner kicks while Geneva took two.

 

Tuesday, November 2

PAC Championship Tournament [Semifinal 1] No. 5 Bethany at No. 1 Grove City Don Lyle Field--Grove City, Pa.

Result: Bethany 3, Grove City 3 (2OT); Bethany wins in shootout 4-1 Box score

Bethany earned its second-straight championship tournament semifinal victory over top-seeded Grove City Wednesday night... Before last season Bethany had not played in the league's title match since 2010... Grove City earned a 4-2 regular season win against Bethany on October 15 in Grove City... Junior Modou Faye (Dallas, Texas | Evolution Academy Charter) staked Bethany to a 1-0 lead in the 10th minute, scoring off an assist from Jahzinho O'Garro (St. John's, Antigua | Princess Margaret)... Senior Sam Belitz (Independence, Ohio | Independence) scored his league-leading 14th goal of the year in the 17th minute to even the match at 1-1... Sophomore John-Luc Harbour (Broomfield, Colo. | Broomfield) assisted on the Belitz goal... O'Garro scored an unassisted goal in the 29th minute to give Bethany a 2-1 lead going into halftime... Sophomore Jordan Rebsamen (Charlotte, N.C. | Carmel Christian) tied the match at 2-2 after scoring off of an assist from freshman Camden Thomas (North Lima, Ohio | South Range)... Harbour's goal in the 55th minute gave Grove City a 3-2 lead... Sophomore Luke Kimmich (Murrysville, Pa. | Franklin Regional) assisted on Harbour's goal... Junior Jayzeba James (St. John's, Antigua | Antigua Grammar) evened the score at 3-3 in the 64th minute... Faye and junior Rokeba Cordice (All Saints Village, Antigua | All Saints Secondary) had assists on James' goal... Following two scoreless 10-minute overtime periods, O'Garro, Faye, juniors Sebastian Arrocain (Chivilcoy, Buenos Aires, Argentina | Campus Lincoln) and Arnold Fontas-Candida (Daker, Senegal | Cheikh Ahmadou Bamba De Guinguineo) all converted in the shootout... Grove City finished the match with an 18-9 advantage in shots and a 9-4 edge in shots on goal... Grove City totaled 11 corner kicks while Bethany had four... Junior Adis Salihovic (Dallas, Texas | Lake Highlands) made six saves for Bethany... Senior Jesse Greyshock (Tarentum, Pa. | Deer Lakes) had one save for Grove City.

 

Saturday, October 29

PAC Championship Tournament [Quarterfinal 2] No. 5 Bethany at No. 4 Allegheny Robertson Athletic Complex grass field--Meadville, Pa.

Result: Bethany 1, Allegheny 0 Box score

Bethany, the defending PAC champion, scored its second-straight quarterfinal victory as the tournament's number five seed on Saturday... Junior Arnold Fontas-Candida (Daker, Senegal | Cheikh Ahmadou Bamba De Guinguineo) registered the eventual-game winner in the 14th minute, heading in a cross from sophomore Fausto Gionchetti (Buenos Aires, Argentina | Oakhill)... It was Fontas-Candida's third goal this season, and second game-winner... Bethany finished with an 18-16 edge in shots while Allegheny held a 6-5 advantage in shots on goal... Bethany totaled six corner kicks and Allegheny finished with four... Junior Adis Salihovic (Dallas, Texas | Lake Highlands) made six saves for Bethany to record the program's eighth shutout of the season... Allegheny junior Gabe Anthony (Tarentum, Pa. | Highlands) had four saves in the loss.

 

Saturday, October 29

PAC Championship Tournament [Quarterfinal 1] No. 6 Westminster at No. 3 Geneva Reeves Field--Beaver Falls, Pa.

Result: Geneva 1, Westminster 0 Box score

Saturday marked the fourth-straight year Geneva and Westminster met in the championship tournament... Westminster earned a 2-1 quarterfinal win against Geneva in 2021... Junior Carnel Kerr (Flankers, Jamaica | Carlynton) scored the eventual game-winner in the fourth minute... The goal came off an assist from sophomore Darren Main (Denver, Pa. | Cocalico)... It was Kerr's fourth goal this season... Geneva finished with an 11-7 edge in shots (3-2 on goal) and a 4-2 advantage in corner kicks... Geneva senior Gabriel Kemp (Normalville, Pa. | Connellsville) made a pair of saves in the win... It was Geneva's seventh shutout this season and third in a row... Senior Jad Jadallah (Canfield, Ohio | Canfield) recorded two saves for Westminster.