By Christopher Tremblay, Staff Sports Writer

Last year, the Franklin girls’ soccer team went 12-1-5, earning themselves a 13 seed in the Division 1 State Tournament where they took out Wachusett Regional 3-2 in overtime and then was sent packing by number four Bishop Feehan 2-1 on penalty kicks. Feehan would get into the State championship game, where they would be beaten by Wellesley. The year prior, the Panthers would get to the Round of 8, where Hopkinton would end their season.

“Our goal is always to win the Hockomock League despite it being a challenge,” Franklin Coach Jodi Klein said. “We have a reputation of being a top team in the league, but this year we’re struggling, to say the least. We are working hard to get back to the top of the league and are currently tied for second with Attleboro and King Philip, all behind Sharon.”

Klein would also like to have her girls get back to the State Tournament and go further than they did last year. Prior to last year’s Round of 8 appearance, the Panthers made it to the Round of 16. It has been a while since the Panthers have been in the Final 4, and she is hoping to get that far this season. Although Franklin is not having their typical season, the Panthers are currently ranked 18th and sitting in a good position to qualify for the post-season.

In order to accomplish their goals, the Panthers will be relying on their three senior captains Morgan Lovell, Cassidy Carmignani and Gwen Holland, The trio will also be taking their skills to the next level following their high school graduation. Lovell, a center mid and striker will be headed to Division 3 Central Connecticut, Carmignani will be taking her center defender skills to the University of St Thomas in St Paul, Minnesota to play Division 1 soccer and Holland, a wing attacker and outside defender will be attending Division 1 Bryant University in North Smithfield RI.

The Panther Coach sees no issues with her captains taking that next step and playing on the collegiate level. The three all have a great work ethic, and they should all fit in nicely with their respective new teams come next year.

“The three captains, first and foremost, I have very high-performance standards for them. They are all hard workers that have set those standards during practice and games,” the Panther Coach said. “Vocal leaders are hard to come by, and although I have to encourage them at times, Cassidy has been standing out more. The team understands we are working toward the same goal and our captains affect the way that we play.”

With the trio being those effective leaders, Klein is also looking for other leaders to emerge as the season goes on. She offers that, “on the field, Lovell is an incredibly dynamic and passionate player, and she excels in the midfield while controlling the game flow, Lovell is also physically strong and exhibits good leadership skills for the younger girls, and much like the other two captains, she rarely comes off the field.

“Morgan has good ball movement with great field vision,” the coach said. “Currently she leads the team in assists and is one of the reasons that we score a lot of goals; she creates this opportunities for her teammates.

“Carmignani is a standout defender and was moved into the center defender position this year due to the fact that Franklin had two young players there, who although talented had not found their voice yet. Carmignani was moved into the position to lead and provide the team with a voice. 

“She gives us a big voice motivating the team to play at a high intensity,” Klein said. “Due to her direction in the back she has gotten everyone on the same page. Although skilled as a defender, Cassidy loves to get into the attack mode from time to time, but she is more important in the back for us.”

Rounding out the captains is Holland, who is an attacker that has shaped her game over the last two seasons with Franklin. Originally an outside back with the junior varsity team during her freshman campaign, the now senior is a wing attacker that brings the team speed and her dribbling ability. According to the coach, she doesn’t have a lot of goals to her credit, but she creates chaos in front of the oppositions net putting stress on their back line players. Holland may not have the box score statistics, but she does have the intangibles that are important to the team’s success.

With a good portion of the second half to be played, Klein knows that her team can compete with the best of the teams out there, and despite being a team on the younger side, they have been working together to ensure that they will be able to make a deep run through the tournament.

“Franklin High School is expected to win, and when things go wrong, the younger girls need to stay calm and not exert pressure on themselves,” she said. We’ve had our share of tough games, but you need to remain calm and play your game. If you do you’ll be alright.”