STEUBENVILLE, OH – Franciscan University unleashed a relentless offensive attack on Friday afternoon, overpowering West Virginia Wesleyan 20–11 at Trinity Health System Field.
Wesleyan leaned heavily on Nyah Elmer, who accounted for nearly half of the Lady Bobcats’ offense with five goals, one assist, and five draw controls. Elmer’s two second-quarter strikes briefly closed the gap to 6–4, but the Bobcats struggled to maintain possession and failed to capitalize on multiple free-position opportunities.
On the other side, Franciscan was firing on all cylinders from the opening whistle, jumping out to a 6–2 lead after the first quarter behind a blistering four-goal performance from senior attacker Theresa Lyle, who completed her hat trick in just the opening 11 minutes. She would go on to finish with four goals and three assists in a commanding display.
The Barons kept their foot on the gas in the second quarter, netting another six goals to carry a 12–6 lead into halftime. Sophomore standout Kiera Wilson led all scorers with six goals and added an assist. Carolyn Cooke racked up four goals and four assists, while also tallying a game-high 11 shots.
The game saw a combined 19 penalties, with Wesleyan accounting for 13 fouls and multiple yellow cards, which opened the door for Franciscan to convert 5 of 11 free-position shots. The Barons also dominated the draw controls 21–12.
Franciscan goalkeeper Mary Smith made six saves on 15 shots on goal, while her counterpart Ella Gomez had a busy afternoon, stopping 13 shots on 31 attempts in 51 minutes of action. Gomez was later relieved by Tatiyana Blacknall, who played the final 8:20, allowing two goals and recording one save.
West Virginia Wesleyan got additional contributions from Francesca Sloan (three goals) and Emma Adcock (one goal), but their 24 turnovers and 2-for-4 mark on free-position shots hindered any comeback bid.
