Franklin College took a road trip for its first match of the 2025 season on Friday evening, traveling northwest to Crawfordsville for a battle with nonconference rival Wabash.

The Grizzlies stayed within striking distance for the first 59 minutes of play before the Little Giants opened the floodgates down the stretch to earn a 4-0 victory.

"It's an important early test of our culture and attitude," Franklin coach Josh Hughes said after his debut. "Things have gone really well to this point, and this is a much-needed moment that provides an opportunity to learn and improve."

Despite being outshot by a 17-1 margin in the first half, the Grizzlies kept the game scoreless until the 32nd minute of play, when a Myles Bernat shot found the top right corner of the net for the Little Giants.

Wabash doubled its lead in the 60th minute of play when Bernat assisted on an Angel Vazquez tally, then made it 3-0 on an Isaac Gomez goal with just over 20 minutes remaining.

The Little Giants tacked on their final goal of the night with just 1:58 to play, with Danny Escobedo finding the back of the net.

Starting goalkeeper Graham Klein made four saves in just over 60 minutes of action before being relieved by Jaime Silva, who stopped three shots. Wabash finished with a 31-5 edge in overall shots and an 11-1 advantage in shots on frame. Theo Sasso had the lone shot on goal for the Grizzlies.

Franklin returns to action on Wednesday, Sept. 3 with another rivalry road match, this one at DePauw.