FRANKLIN, Ind. – Coming off of an 11-day break, the Franklin College men's soccer team opened up Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) play on Wednesday (Sept. 28) night, hosting the Anderson Ravens at Faught Stadium.
 
Facing a one-goal deficit at the break, the Grizzlies (1-6, 1-0 HCAC) got two goals less than six minutes apart from junior Eddy Yousak in the final 45 to earn a thrilling 2-1 win over their conference rivals.
 
How it Happened
The first half was an evenly-matched one with shots 6-5 in Franklin's favor. But the Ravens got the ice-breaker in the 14^th minute from Usman Kamara and held onto that lead as the teams went into the halftime break.
 
The Ravens kept the lead until the 69^th minute when Yousak drew the Grizzlies even. Htoo Ray Moo sent in a cross after a corner kick was sent back and Yousak did the rest, re-directing the cross with his right foot for his fourth of the year.

 
Yousak used a perfectly timed run and some cheeky ball handling to finish off the brace in the 75^th minute. Dany Escamilla sent in a brilliant long ball to a streaking Yousak, who chipped the ball over the charging goalkeeper and slid to direct the ball over the goal line for the lead.


 
The rest of the game was a defensive clinic from the Grizzlies, as they held Anderson without a shot attempt once they took the lead.
 
Inside the Box Score
-Yousak was a threat to score all night long, finishing with three shot attempts that all landed on target.
-Attempts were 14-10 in Franklin's favor on the night with five Grizzlies recording multiple shot attempts.
-Ian Rowe turned back five Raven shots on the night.
-The win marks the first in the head coaching career of Grizzly bench boss Josh Galvin.
 
Up Next
Franklin is back in action at home on Saturday (Oct. 1) afternoon, hosting the Bluffton Beavers to close out a soccer double-header at Faught Stadium. Kick-off is set for approximately 3:30 p.m.