Franklin women's soccer coach
Jennifer Jackson and her staff cautioned the Grizzlies to be wary of a "trap game" at Berea on Saturday afternoon — a match that might have been easy to overlook given the Mountaineers' winless record.
The Griz left nothing to chance, getting goals from three different freshmen in a 3-0 road win. The victory was the third in a row for Franklin (6-9-1, 4-4 HCAC).
"Great to see different players scoring and assisting," Jackson said. "We scored in different ways today, and that was great to see. Love riding the momentum this time of year. Girls played hard and did what they needed to do."
The visitors put pressure on early, with two corner kicks and two shots in the first seven minutes, and got on the board first 7:35 into the action when
Trinity Inglert converted off an assist from senior
Amirah Curry.
Still up 1-0 at the half, the Grizzlies padded their lead in the 62nd minute when
Mylee McAdams cashed in a corner kick from
Emma Myers. Then, with just 3:17 to go in the match, Inglert assisted on the first collegiate goal from classmate
Daphne Wright, who was playing in just her second match after being medically cleared earlier in the week.
The Grizzlies outshot the Mountaineers 12-4 overall, with a 6-2 edge in shots on frame. They also totaled nine corners without allowing any, part of an outstanding defensive effort that saw
Emma Watson need just two saves to preserve the shutout.
With the win, Franklin goes into the final match of the regular season in the driver's seat for the sixth and final HCAC Tournament berth. The Grizzlies currently have 12 points, two ahead of Bluffton, and have the tiebreaker over the Beavers by virtue of last week's head-to-head win. Bluffton would have to beat first-place Mount St. Joseph on Wednesday to stay alive; if that happens, the Griz would need only a tie at Transylvania to clinch a postseason spot.
