Franklin Regional girls soccer sets bigger goals for next season

By: Robert Scott III
Friday, October 25, 2019 | 5:18 PM

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The Franklin Regional girls soccer season came to end last Monday with a WPIAL first-round playoff exit at the hands of West Allegheny, 2-0.

It was a season filled with ups and downs, as the Panthers started the season with a 2-4 overall record through six games before winning five in a row to close out September with a 7-4 mark, 6-3 in Section 1-AAA, allowing one goal during the span.

That was before they closed out the season losing the last five of six games, including the playoff defeat, scoring just a goal.

With all that said, the team finished 8-9 overall and 7-7 in section play, which was enough to earn fourth place and a playoff spot.

It was an improvement from last year, which saw Franklin Regional miss the playoffs for only the second time in the 20-year tenure of coach Rich Garland after finishing 4-8-2 against section competition, 7-9-2 overall.

“If you measure success by making playoffs, then this season was successful, but we were inconsistent for much of the season,” he said.

The Panthers were also inconsistent in their first round-loss to West Allegheny, according to Garland, giving up two goals in the first half before playing more defensively sound in the second.

“(The playoff game) was a mixed bag. In the first half, we let West Allegheny do what they wanted to do,” he said. “The second half was totally different story. We settled down, had a couple shots go off the posts and limited their opportunities to almost none in the second half.

“I just wish we wouldn’t have spotted them a few goals.”

Erratic play was evident throughout the team’s season. Take a 3-2 loss to Indiana on Sept. 4 for instance. The team gave up three first-half goals before scoring twice in the second half.

Garland also cited splitting games against section foes Gateway and Hampton, defeating both teams the first time they played and losing both the second time, as examples.

“It’s that inconsistency. It reared its head down the stretch,” he said. “We had an excellent (nonsection) win, (defeating Montour, 4-1, Sept. 28 ) followed by inconsistent performances later on.”

The Panthers played as a relatively young team with 12 sophomores and nine freshmen along with five seniors and three juniors.

“I thought with the sophomores and freshmen getting so much playing time and our senior leadership, we had a lot of opportunities to play well and they (did at times). It bodes well for the future of the program,” Garland said.

Garland likes what he sees in his sophomores, including midfielder Sydney Kranick, who scored 12 goals.

“Next year’s juniors are a very talented group. They lead by example,” he said. “They don’t wait around to get told what to do. They lead.”

Senior midfielder and Seton Hill commit Victoria Routhrauff led the team with 15 goals. Sophomore midfielder Sydney Lindeman (three goals) struggled with injury, but complemented the midfield when she did play.

“Sydney Lindeman settled us down in the midfield and provided a calming influence for the rest of the team,” Garland said. “Our backfield finally jelled, limiting the amount of chances other teams have.”

As far as next year goes, Garland expects junior all-section goalkeeper Sydney Caldwell (six shutouts) to play a bigger role as a senior among others.

“(Caldwell) is a natural leader and great kid who provides a totally different perspective than anyone else on the field,” he said. “Halle Jakiela is going to be a senior next year as an attacking center midfielder. She plays at a high level.”

Garland plans to develop his team physically in the offseason by keeping them in shape with cardio and putting on muscle in the weight room.

“I want to challenge the team on their inconsistencies and challenge them with bigger, audacious goals for the 2020 season,” he said.

Tags: Franklin Regional