RICHMOND, Ind. – The Franklin College men's soccer team concluded a two-game road trip on Saturday (Mar. 20) night, taking a thriller over Earlham for their first win of the spring season.

Down by a goal with under five minutes to play, the Grizzlies (1-5) capitalized on a penalty kick late in regulation to force overtime. In the extra session, junior Angel Tapia ended it with a re-direction goal that stunned the Quakers (1-4-1) for his first career game-winner that gave Franklin a 2-1 win.

How it Happened
Franklin generated the games' first two chances but both Tapia and Dany Escamilla were turned back by Earlham goalie Tyler Smith. The home side got the game's first goal in the 23rd minute when a free kick from 45 yards out was deflected past Grizzly goalkeeper Elliott Clark.

Clark would come up big for the Grizzlies over a six-minute stretch in the second half, denying four Earlham shots on target to keep the Grizzlies within a goal. Down by a goal with a little more than three minutes to play, a Franklin attacker was hauled down inside the 18-yard box and Escamilla made the Quakers pay, sticking the tying goal into the top right corner and forcing extra time.

The Grizzlies generated three attempts in overtime, the final coming in the 97th minute. Escamilla took the ball down the right side towards the goal line before filtering a centering pass that found Tapia's right foot and the ball squirted through Smith's legs for the winner.

Inside the Box Score
-It was the first career game-winner for Tapia, who also netted his first goal of the year.
-Escamilla recorded his first career assist on the winner and leads the Grizzlies in scoring through six games.
-Shots were 16-12 in Franklin's favor with shots on target 10-9 in favor of the Quakers. Escamilla had a career-high five shot attempts and Eddy Yousak attempted four shots.
-Clark was solid in goal, turning aside a season-high nine shot attempts. 

Up Next
Franklin is back at home on Wednesday (Mar. 24) night, hosting Bluffton University. Kick-off is set for 7:00 p.m.