Columbus East goalkeeper Emma Christie saves the ball ahead of a shot by Franklin’s Samantha Frazier during Thursday’s sectional semifinal match at BCSC Soccer Complex in Columbus.
Tommy Walker | For The Republic
Although Franklin dominated possession in Thursday’s sectional semifinal against host Columbus East, it was anybody’s game for at least a half.
Tied 0-0 at halftime, the Grizzly Cubs erupted for five second half goals to post a 5-0 win and advance to Saturday’s final against Class 3A No. 14 Center Grove.
“We did have a really good first half, as far as keeping it even,” East coach Ilya Schwartzman said. “We just ran out of juice. We suffered a couple of injuries that hurt us, and just couldn’t maintain it with limited substitutions. Everybody played hurt. At the end, we just ran out of everything.”
The Olympians (2-14-1) actually came the closest to scoring the first half. Morgan Scott put a free kick off the crossbar in the 24th minute.
“That direct kick was fantastic,” Schwartzman said. “It just missed by inches. We get 1-0, and we play it a little bit different.”
Franklin (8-7-1) finally broke through in the second half. Jazlinn Diaz-Avalos scored goals in the 47th and 56th minutes, and the Grizzly Cubs added scores from Charlee Cramer in the 61st, Amelia Richter in the 73rd and Ava Lee in the 74th.
“We were shooting, and the keeper (Emma Christie) was making good saves,” Franklin coach Garrett Belden said. “We just had to stay patient and find our moment. We went a little more offensively, pushed a couple players forward and looked to swing the ball a little bit more than we did in the first half and found a little more success.”
Franklin finished with a 30-4 shot advantage, putting 17 on goal to none for East. Christie played the first 60 minutes in goal and recorded 10 saves, while Cara Veach posted two saves over the final 20 minutes.
“Emma had a great game,” Schwartzman said. “I thought the effort was outstanding. That’s all I can ask. The kids really worked hard.”
Every girl who played for the Olympians on Thursday is eligible to return next season.
“Everybody is coming back,” Schwartzman said. “Hopefully, we’ll get some players coming into the program that will help out as freshmen, and we’ll just continue to build.”
