Men's Soccer | 11/16/2025 12:25:00 AM

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (pacathletics.org - Franciscan University advanced to the ECAC DIII Men's Soccer Tournament semifinals with a 4-1 road victory over Virginia Wesleyan on Saturday. The Barons improved to 11-9-2 on the season and will take on Rutgers-Newark next weekend with a spot in the ECAC Championship on the line. The Marlins finished their campaign 12-6-1.
 
Both teams managed three shots through the first 15 minutes of match time and put one try on goal, forcing saves from Franciscan's Aiden Miller (Galena, Ohio/Olentangy Berlin) and Virginia Wesleyan's Ben Haynes.
 
The Barons then broke through in the 16th minute. Freshman Andrew Goduti (Naples, Fla./Barron Collier) gave his team a 1-0 lead on the midfielder's 10th goal of the season, the second most on the team. Senior Lucas Cross (Clarkston, Mich./Everest Collegiate), the squad leader in goals and points, provided the assist.
 
Less than three minutes later, JaMarhe Wills had a chance to tie the score for Virginia Wesleyan, but Miller made his second and final save of the first half to keep Franciscan ahead.
 
The Barons struck again in the 29th minute. Freshman George Phillips (Endwell, N.Y./Seton Catholic Central) tallied his fifth goal of the year and third in his last six matches to give Franciscan a 2-0 advantage. Cross notched an assist on the play, making it a season-best two on the day and bringing the senior into a three-way tie for second most on the team with five this year. Junior Anthony Venditti (Steubenville, Ohio/Homeschooled) was also credited with a helper, his squad-best sixth of the campaign.
 
The Barons took their 2-0 lead into halftime, while also claiming a 10-5 advantage in shots through 45 minutes.
 
Miller made his third and final stop of the match in the 47th minute, and Franciscan extended its advantage to 3-0 less than two minutes later. Cross scored his team-leading 14th goal of the season and secured a season-high tying four-point performance. Venditti racked up his second assist of the match, ballooning his yearly total to seven.
 
Virginia Wesleyan broke through in the 59th minute. Senior Zach Bittler became the only Marlin to reach double digit goals this season with his 10th of the year and 24th of his career, cutting VWU's deficit to 3-1. Bittler was assisted by Nolan Schulte, the junior's first of the campaign.
 
Franciscan re-established its three-goal cushion in the 79th minute. Venditti added to his two assists with his fourth goal of the year, giving the junior a career-high tying four-point performance and setting the Barons up with a 4-1 advantage.
 
Each team managed one shot over the final 11 minutes as Franciscan finished off its victory and secured its place in the ECAC Tournament semifinals. The Barons ended with a 15-14 advantage in shots and 7-6 in shots on goal. Both teams recorded six corner kicks. 
 
Franciscan will take on Rutgers-Newark for the first time next weekend. The Scarlet Raiders defeated Goucher 2-0 on Saturday.

Contributed by the ECAC