Panther JV women’s soccer remains unbeaten through six matches.
After a solid 2023, earning three wins, three losses and a draw, Franklin has accrued one of its best records in program history. Just three wins shy of a perfect campaign, Juan Morales said his team has what it takes.
“They have a lot of strengths. For me it’s all about playing as a team, and it’s not just the 11 that are on the field at the time, it’s the whole squad,” said Morales, now in his second year coaching the squad. “I feel like whoever I put in and wherever I put them in to play, our level of play never drops. It always stays consistent, and it’s really hard to get a team - especially with young teenagers - where everybody plays as a team. … I think the girls have that mentality that they want to try and go undefeated the whole season, and I’m all for it.”
Because few schools west of Asheville have enough players for JV teams, Franklin’s girls generally play short seasons, so far earning five of their wins in blowout fashion over Cherokee. In an epic match with Mountain Seven rival Tuscola however, the Panthers staked their claim as one of the best teams in the conference.
“We played Tuscola a couple weeks ago, and they were pretty good. We were actually losing in the second half 2-0, but the girls came back and they ended up winning the game 4-2,” said Morales. “For a minute I kind of doubted that we would come back - there were maybe like 20 minutes left. But, I noticed that all the girls on the field, and even the ones on the bench got really serious and focused.”
It’s sometimes said that 2-0 is the most dangerous score in soccer, as the team in the lead tends to become complacent while the team behind doubles their efforts. With just 20 minutes to play, the Panthers mounted an improbable comeback.
“As soon as we kicked off [after] they scored that second goal, I just saw the energy and the will that they wanted to score really quickly, which we did maybe two or three minutes after that,” said Morales. “Then, we [created] a good play down the right-hand side and one of my girls got fouled and won a PK [penalty kick], and we took the PK and scored to get to 2-2. Maybe five minutes after that, one of the girls took a shot from the outside and hit one of Tuscola’s girls on the hand, so we got another PK and scored that one. On the fourth goal, we crossed the ball into the box and my striker Giselle [Vallez] got on the end of it to tap it in.”
Led by freshman forward Bailey Callahan, Franklin’s offense kicked into gear when it mattered most, stunning the Mountaineers for a signature win. With a rematch at Tuscola and two games with West Henderson still to play, Morales said his players have a 9-0 season on their minds.
“The girls are really focused,” he said. “Since it’s spring break this week, I told them that if they were on vacation it wasn’t mandatory for them to show up to practice, but a lot of them said, ‘No, we want to have practice. We want to be ready for West.’ Just with their mentality that they’re going in ready for West when we play them on Monday, I feel like they’re ready and they want the challenge, too. It will be fun to see how they do against them.”