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By David Walsh

By MITCHELL STEPHENSON 

The Franklin Lady Rebels hosted the Independence Lady Eagles in this Division I Class AAA, Region 6, District 12 game.

The teams teams were playing for third-place seeding in the upcoming district tournament.

Franklin came into the contest 6-5-1 overall and 1-4 in district; Indy is 6-4-2 overall and 2-3 in district action.

It was a hard-fought contest, with neither team backing down. And the exciting battle ended in a 1-1 tie, leaving the district seeding up in the air.

Both teams had similar lineups and used a fast, tenacious style.

The offensive plays were set up extremely fast. But the defensive players for both teams adjusted just as fast.

With 9:47 left in the first half, Indy broke the tie when Natalie Russell scored from a straight shot just outside the box.

They took that lead into the half.

The pace continued to be amazingly fast in the second half. Franklin controlled the ball on Indy’s side most of the half.

Amanda Williams was finally able to score for Franklin with 18:42 in the half by blasting a long shot, tying the game at 1-1. This ignited the home crowd and the Lady Rebel bench.

At 16:46 it appeared that Franklin took the lead as Emma Shields scored from in the box. But the goal was waved off as the referee determined Franklin was offsides. The scored remained 1-1.

After both teams continued to battle the rest of the half the contest ended in a 1-1 tie.

The Lady Rebels head coach Mike Burgoyne shared his thoughts about the tie.

“I thought we played well,” he said. “We eliminated their chances to score, and we created more chances.

“This is how the game works sometimes. They made the most of their opportunities, and we were unable to finish all of our opportunities.”

Coach Burgoyne felt the game didn’t exactly reflect the final score for his team.

“It feels like a loss to us, because we knew we had to win this game for the seeding for the district tournament,” he said. “But we played ball. I told my team we’re getting better as the season goes. We haven’t been out-shot in one game this year. So it’s okay to be disappointed.

“At the end of the day we got a tie, and when postseason comes around, everyone starts over at 0-0, and the top two teams go through.”

Indy head coach David Corero gave his take on the contest.

“What a tough game,” he said. “Franklin is always good. They move the ball so well. And they defend really strong. We were able to maintain some intensity. We got a goal in the first half which was crucial. We held on for a good bit of the game. And a 1-1 tie, I’m okay with.”

Franklin closes out the regular season with a game at Oakland Thursday, and a game with Nolensville next week.

Indy finishes off the regular season at Siegel Thursday.

Photo submitted by Melinda Henderson.