Wabash scored four first-half goals Wednesday night on the way to a 5-0 victory over the Franklin soccer team.
Freshman Ryan Fier started the scoring when he took a pass from Ian Kelly and broke free from the defense on the right side. Fier faked a shot to the left side, then found the right corner of the net for his first goal of the season and a 1-0 Little Giant lead in the fourth minute of the match.
Head coach Roberto Giannini discusses the 5-0 victory over Franklin.
Wabash added three more goals in the span of three minutes, starting with a goal from Femi Oluyedun. The sophomore forward took a pass from Dylan Andrew and fired a shot into the back of the net to put the Little Giants up 2-0. Two minutes later Oluyedun added his fourth goal of the season and second of the match. Andrew took a loose ball in the Wabash half of the pitch and drilled a pass toward the right corner of the attacking zone. Fier chased it down and lofted a pass toward the mouth of the goal that Oluyedun raced underneath to head the ball into the net.
Allan Swan scored his first goal of the year a minute later off a pass from Oluyedun, who finished the night with five total points and just missed a third goal for the hat trick late in the first period.
Josh Pedersen added a goal off a deflected ball put into the box by Mark Babcock late in the second half to set the final score.
Matt Paul turned aside two Franklin shots on goal to post his second shutout of the season. Wabash outshot the Grizzlies 26-6 with a shot-on-goal differential of 8-to-3.
The Little Giants improve to 6-5-1, giving them six victories in a season for the first time since 2004. Wabash returns to North Coast Athletic Conference play Saturday when the Little Giants play Allegheny College at 11 a.m. at Mud Hollow Field.