On paper, Franklin women's lacrosse went into Saturday's home match against Wisconsin-Stevens Point as a heavy underdog, especially without the services of injured senior Maddie Cary.

But, to paraphrase former SportsCenter anchor Kenny Mayne, games aren't played on paper — they're played on field turf.

The Grizzlies played the visiting pointers close through the first half and showed some fight with a second-half run before ending up on the short end of a 16-9 score.

"We played absolutely phenomenal," Griz coach Morgan Krause said. "They had about a 30-man roster and were continuing to make subs, and we have no subs. ... All the girls did great. They battled through some injuries and I couldn't be more proud of how they played as a team and just kept the culture alive."

Franklin (2-5) fell behind 4-0 in the first quarter before Aubrey Small got the team on the scoreboard with 27 seconds to go in the period. The Grizzlies then made up ground in the second, with Addison Roehling scoring a man-up goal and Small finding the net again at the 1:27 mark to cut the deficit to 5-3 going into the half.

UWSP controlled the third period and kept the momentum going into the fourth, stretching out to a 14-4 lead with 11:54 to go. The Grizzlies, though, showed some fight with four consecutive goals — two by Small and one each by Addie Whitman and Abby Moore — to get within six. Moore scored again with 5:39 left to round out the Franklin scoring.

Small finished with a career-high four goals in defeat; Whitman and Moore each tallied a pair, with Moore and Claire Ecenbarger each contributing two assists. Sophie Taylor made six saves.

The Grizzlies now have two weeks off before playing their home finale on April 11 against Spalding.