LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Franklin women's soccer team kicked off post-season play on Saturday (Nov. 2) night, taking on the Transylvania Pioneers in the first round of the 2024 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) tournament.
 
The Grizzlies (5-9-3) made things interesting late in the match, but they saw their season come to a close as the Pioneers (8-5-3) held on for a 2-1 win.
 
The first scoring chance of the night for Franklin came in the seventh minute, with Jaiden Baker's attempt sailing just over the crossbar. The Pioneers would control the play for the bulk of the first half and the host's persistence paid off in the 37^th minute when the won a foul in the box and stuck home the ensuing penalty for a 1-0 lead.
 
Maggie Matthews nearly equalized in the 40^th minute, but had her attempt steered away as the Pioneers took a 1-0 lead into the break. Transy added a second goal in the 59^th minute but the Grizzlies got a goal back in the 74^th minute as Issy Pridemore stuck home her second goal of the season to halve the deficit. But the Grizzlies couldn't find an equalizer over the final 15 minutes of play, as the Pioneers punched their ticket to the conference semifinals.
 
Shot attempts were 14-3 in the Pioneers' favor, with Makenna Mundy making eight saves in goal in her final appearance in a Franklin shirt.