As has been the case in most matches this season, Franklin men's soccer had its share of bright spots on Saturday evening. They just didn't come frequently enough.
Down a player and three goals in the second half, the Grizzlies fought back with a pair of late goals but wound up on the losing end of a 3-2 score against Eureka.
Franklin (0-5-2) was clicking in the early going, getting a shot on goal in the opening minute from
Russell Bilohlavek and another late in the fifth minute from
Johnny Garcia. But it was the Red Devils who found the back of the net first, punching home a loose ball in front of the net with 6:44 to go in the first half.
Eureka doubled its lead just 15 seconds into the second half, taking advantage of a defensive breakdown, and the visitors rode that momentum all the way into the 67th minute, when another goal put the Grizzlies into a 3-0 hole. The difficulties for the home side were made worse by a red card in the 64th minute that left Franklin a player short for the rest of the match.
Despite playing shorthanded, though, the Grizzlies charged back, breaking up the shutout with 10:28 remaining when
Ian Cardona put home a cross from fellow freshman
Ulises Rivera. Another freshman,
Tripp O'Brien, made it a one-goal game when he rocketed home a short-range shot in traffic with less than a minute left, but time ran out on the comeback bid before Franklin could get another shot attempt off.
Each side finished with 13 total shots, with O'Brien leading the way for Franklin with five. Goalkeeper
Austin White made three saves for the Grizzlies.
Up next for Franklin is a Wednesday home match against Millikin.
