Franklin Regional boys battle early-season injuries

By: HSSN Staff
Monday, September 18, 2017 | 11:00 PM

Jeremy Lucas received a standing ovation coming out of Franklin Regional boys soccer team's 2-1 road win Tuesday night over Hempfield.

Panthers coach Rand Hudson thought it was a nice moment. The only unfortunate part is it highlighted what has become a difficult trend an increasingly beleaguered Franklin Regional lineup.

Lucas, a goalkeeper, aggravated a back injury jumping to make a save on a ball above his head.

“He showed true leadership by playing through the pain and giving the team the opportunity to win,” Panthers forward Domenick DiFalco said.

On the same day, the Panthers learned sophomore defender Connor Hudson will be out for the season after suffering an ACL tear against Penn-Trafford on Sept. 7.

Another defender, Jacob Shulock, has been in and out of the lineup because of being banged up.

Despite this, Franklin Regional is in position to make a serious run at its first section title since 2014.

“Our team has rallied behind these injuries, that's the great thing about this,” DiFalco said. “It gives other guys opportunities to shine in place of the injured ones.”

The Panthers (5-1, 3-1) sit in second place behind Norwin in Section 4-AAAA entering their game against Connellsville on Tuesday night. Results from that game were too late for this edition.

“I think right now we have a good amount of depth,” Hudson said. “A lot of these boys play club soccer outside of this. Just like a lot of teams, we've suffered injuries, illnesses and various things. We've been able to plug in other players and be consistent without a drop-off.”

Kylen Cooke and Jake Trapanotto have been asked to step up and help fill various positions. What would also help bring relief would be a more consistent offensive attack.

Chances have been plentiful. Guiding those opportunities into the back of the net has been inconsistent.

“We're trying to get them to link their passes and keep the ball on the ground,” Hudson said.

Franklin Regional had 10 shots turned away during a 1-0 loss to Norwin Sept. 12 at home.

The Panthers also have sweated out 2-1 wins over West Allegheny and Penn-Trafford.

Against the Spartans, Franklin Regional had a one-goal lead for most of the evening, but Hudson felt the team still had to bite their nails at times.

The hope is any upcoming ovations will be for goals, instead of praising the toughness of players returning from bumps and bruises.

“I think so far we've had good possession of the ball,” Hudson said. “We are patient, play through the back and let everyone touch the ball. We haven't buried opportunities when we've had the chance.”

Josh Rizzo is a freelance writer.

Tags: Franklin Regional