Franklin’s girls soccer team entered this season with limited returning experience, coming off a 4-12 record the previous year.
With Wednesday’s 4-0 win at Mid-State Conference rival Greenwood, the Grizzly Cubs exceeded last year’s win total, and pleased first-year coach Mary Weidman immensely in the process.
“These girls have impressed me so much this season,” Weidman said. “We came in young, and our goal was to just do better than we did last season, but now we’ve got hopes to do well in sectional. I like that they’re pushing the coaches to the point that we want bigger and better goals for them, and I think they can get there.”
Weidman thought the Grizzly Cubs (5-5-1, 4-2) started slowly Wednesday, but they asserted themselves as the match progressed. Their first two goals came in similar fashion. Sophomore midfielder Emily Kleinhelter found senior Emilie Hill on a cross from the right side with 15:45 remaining in the first half for the first goal.
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Kleinhelter assisted on Hill’s second goal on a nearly identical pass with 21:31 remaining in the match, but this time she attacked from the left side. Madeline Alexander and Kleinhelter connected on unassisted goals to round out the scoring for Franklin.
“We’ve done that a little bit in the past, so over the course of the season, it’s grown to be a strong connection,” Hill said of her connection with Kleinhelter. “We started out not really playing with each other up top, but as the season has gone on, we’ve played together more and the connection is stronger and she knows where I’m going to be.”
Greenwood (5-6-1, 2-5) struggled in part because two of its starters were out with injuries. Brooklyn Stubblefield, normally a starting forward, sat out with an ankle injury, while Izzy Zekalo, a starting defender, also missed the match due to injury.
“We were a little shorthanded, but I’m still proud of the effort,” Greenwood coach Joe Mushrush said. "We put together a really solid first half. It’s all hands on deck, and I’m proud of the way the bench stepped up. We focused on defending, and we hung in the game as long as we could."
Freshman goalie Addison Marshall might best personify Franklin’s relative youth and success. Marshall appeared unfazed on Wednesday despite taking her share of Greenwood scoring attempts.
“I’m really happy with how our team is working together,” said Marshall, who helped fend off six Greenwood corner kicks. “It’s cool to get to know all the girls that I’ve looked up to. I’ve always looked up to Emilie Hill, and it’s really cool, getting a chance to play with her.”
Both teams face long road trips today. Franklin plays at Trinity Lutheran, while Greenwood plays at Batesville.
