COLUMBUS
The Franklin girls soccer team has a lot of ground to make up if it hopes to compete with Columbus North in Thursday’s Franklin Sectional semifinals.
The Grizzly Cubs gave up four goals in the first 19 minutes Saturday, and the host Bull Dogs went on to post a 7-0 victory in the regular-season finale for both teams.
"We had kind of a tough time out there just getting used to their level of competition," Franklin coach Mary Weidman said. "They’re an aggressive team, they’re a confident team, and I think we honestly need to take note of that. If we come out and are aggressive and we’re confident, I think we stand a chance."
Class 3A No. 16 Columbus North (10-4) outshot the Grizzly Cubs (7-8-1) by a 34-1 margin, putting 18 shots on goal to Franklin’s one. Freshman goalie Addison Marshall recorded 11 saves for the Grizzly Cubs.
The teams will meet again at around 7 p.m. Thursday in the second sectional semifinal at Franklin. Weidman is optimistic that her team will put up a better fight.
"I liked that our girls were adjusting without us (coaches) having to talk to them about it," Weidman said. "They were noticing the plays that the other team was making, and they were able to change their positioning to be more defensive and more competitive."