Box Score FRANKLIN, Ind. – The Franklin College men's soccer team welcomed Manchester University to Faught Stadium on Wednesday (Oct. 10) night for a critical Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) showdown.
Disaster struck early for the Grizzlies (3-10, 1-3 HCAC) when the Spartans (4-8-1, 2-2 HCAC) scored on their first shot of the game on their way to a 4-0 win. Manchester got on the board in the ninth minute when Josh Gonzalez fired in a shot from the left wing.
The Spartans added a second goal in the 27th minute when Drake DeWitt tapped in a rebound following a stellar penalty kick save by Jake Hendricks to make it a 2-0 game. The Grizzlies managed just one shot attempt in the opening half and headed into the break trailing by a pair.
The Grizzlies came out of the break firing with Ian Blaze and Jordan Thomas recording quality scoring chances in the first 20 minutes of the half. But neither attempt resulted in a momentum-shifting goal and Manchester added insurance goals in the 69th and 73rd minutes to put the contest out of reach.
Shots were 16-7 in favor of the Spartans with Thomas leading all Franklin players with a pair of attempts. Hendricks made three saves on the night for Franklin, a number matched at the other end by Justin Meredith.
The Grizzlies wrap up a brief two-match homestand on Saturday (Oct. 13) afternoon, taking on Anderson University at Faught Stadium. Kick-off is set for approximately 3:30 p.m.
