Box Score
Reading, PA –
Will Franken and
Tyler Goglio scored six goals each and the Falcons' defense allowed just two first half tallies as they cruised to a convincing 17-5 win over the Alvernia University Crusaders (5-12, 1-7) Saturday afternoon.
Franken and Goglio's six-goal performances were the Falcons' first players to break the five-goal plateau since
Kevan Schellenberg tallied seven times on April 11, 2011. The duo is the first since at least the 2004 season to post matching six-goal performances in the same game. In March 2005, Andrew Collins and Alex Finch combined for 11 goals with six and five goals, respectively.
Brooks Arnold turned in another noteworthy performance for the Falcons (6-8, 4-4) between the pipes. The freshman goalkeeper picked up 11 saves and allowed just three goals. Arnold now holds an incredible .765 save percentage (36 saves, 11 goals allowed) over the Falcons' last two contests.
T.J. Cole picked up two saves and allowed two goals as he entered in relief of Arnold in the fourth quarter.
Brian Ray scored three goals and picked up an assist to lead the Crusaders in scoring. Brandon Weaver took the loss for the hosts as he allowed 16 goals on 22 shots on goal through 48:47 of playing time.
The Falcons, needing a win and a little help to secure a bid to the Commonwealth Conference playoffs, looked dominant from the start and took care of their piece of the playoff puzzle by beating the Crusaders for the fifth-straight season.
The Crusaders got on the board first, however, on a strong dodge and shot from the right-side alley from Colin Gallagher.
Franken would answer the tally with two lasers past goalkeeper Brandon Weaver from the left wing as the sophomore midfielder started what would be a 9-0 run for the visiting Falcons. Franken scored four of the Falcons goals over that span, while Goglio and
Andrew Johnson teamed up for two each.
The Crusaders would add a goal with 4:00 left in the second before Franken and Goglio tallied again to send the Falcons into the break with a healthy 11-2 lead.
The third quarter started with reciprocating tallies for a 12-3 score before the Falcons strung together five more goals. Alvernia would close the game with two goals in the final two minutes of play as the final buzzer sounded with a 17-5 Falcons' win.
The Falcons took a season-high 50 shots on the afternoon en route to totaling their season high in goals (17). Freshman
Brady Marburger turned in his best day at the faceoff X as he went 13-18, picking up six groundballs.
As the final buzzer rang out many of the Falcons' players shifted their focus to keeping an eye on the rest of the Commonwealth contests to determine whether the win would be enough to keep their season alive.
Needing a Lycoming loss at Stevenson to make the playoffs and keeping watch on the Lebanon Valley-E'town game for seeding purposes, the Falcons anxiously awaited their fate.
As needed, Lycoming failed to upend the fourth-ranked Mustangs of Stevenson, resulting in a berth in the playoffs for the Falcons. Additionally, as a result of Lebanon Valley's overtime win against E'town, the Falcons secured the fifth-seed and will travel to Annville for the quarterfinals of the Commonwealth playoffs. The game is scheduled for Monday, April 29th at 4 p.m. meaning both the Falcons and Dutchmen will see just one day of rest.
Monday's quarterfinal winner will advance to play the top-seeded Mustangs on Wednesday in the semifinals.
