Franklin women's soccer came into Saturday very much in control of its postseason destiny but also in dire need of a Senior Day victory against a Bluffton team that already had three HCAC victories in the bank.
The Grizzlies passed the test, with a second-half tally from senior
Lauren Barker proving to be the difference in a critical 1-0 victory.
A first half that the home team controlled the majority of the time ended without any scoring despite the Grizzlies (4-9-1, 2-4 HCAC) launching seven shots, five of those on goal. Barker had an attempt on frame in the second minute of the game, adding another in the 14th.
Hanna Maudlin put a shot on net in the 19th minute. The last two minutes of the half saw a late Franklin push, with shots on goal from
Trinity Inglert and
Shelby Rendes that the Beavers were able to turn away.
The stalemate continued into the second half despite continued pressure from the Franklin attack. Senior
Amirah Curry had a pair of shots in the first 15 minutes, including one on goal. Finally, the Griz broke through with 26:27 left in the match when Barker unloaded a shot from about 20 yards out on the right wing that curled in and past the reach of Bluffton netminder Madison Kutscher.
Franklin then had to sweat it out over the last 10 minutes, as the Beavers made a big forward push down the stretch that included five corner kicks and a pair of shots. The last of those was stopped by Franklin keeper
Emma Watson, her sixth of the day and fourth of the second half, with just 50 seconds to go.
The Grizzlies will try to continue solidifying their HCAC Tournament position when they host Manchester on Wednesday evening (7 p.m.).
