Franklin women's soccer came into Tuesday night's home match against DePauw expecting to lose the possession battle but hoping it could contain the Tigers well enough to stay in the game.
For most of the evening, the Grizzlies did exactly that, riding a heroic effort from junior goalkeeper
Emma Watson throughout. But the visitors were able to break through for the game's only goal early in the second half and secure a 1-0 victory.
It was the second straight one-goal defeat for Franklin (2-4).
The Grizzlies were on the defensive for much of the early going, surrendering six shots in the first 22 minutes. Following the mid-half hydration break, though, the home side was able to make more headway, getting a shot from
Avery Hamilton off of a corner kick and pushing into their attacking third more frequently as the clock ticked down. The teams went into the break scoreless.
DePauw finally broke through against Watson late in the 53rd minute, part of a more consistent offensive assault. Watson, though, kept the score tight, making eight second-half saves after stopping seven in the first 45 minutes.
Franklin was unable to generate any scoring chances after the break, with its best opportunity coming on a long free kick just before time expired. The Tigers were able to clear that ball out of the box as the clock hit zero.
Up next for the Grizzlies will be a pair of road games, the first of those coming Saturday afternoon (3 p.m.) at Muskingum.
