The stage was set. The weather actually cooperated for once this season. The Walpole Rebels were returning to Beaver Street Field in Franklin to avenge their regular season loss to the undefeated Panthers. It was a highly anticipated rematch for both teams and there were plenty of spectators on hand to witness the championship game.

The Panthers scored first and set the tone early. They controlled the ball for the majority of the first half and played outstanding defense en route to a 4-0 halftime lead. This was an unusual position for the Panthers since they trailed in most of their games during the season including the semifinal playoff game.

The Rebels must have received a spirited half time speech because they came out flying in the third quarter. They were able to pull within one of the Panthers going into the fourth quarter. The Panthers were whistled for a couple untimely penalties and Walpole was able to take advantage with their extra man unit on the field. The Panthers were finally able to pull ahead by two goals and stave off the late game comeback attempt by the Rebels.

The final game ended with a 7-5 victory for the Franklin Panthers, who enjoyed their first ever FNL championship. The game was a well-played clean game by both teams.

Friday, June 10, 2011, Beaver Street Field, Franklin

The FNL U13 Championship was an epic battle ending in a 5-4  double overtime victory for KP.

Franklin came to play and came very close to putting  an end to KPs undefeated season, they controlled the game for 3 ¾ quarters .

Franklin put KP down for the first time this season and made KP play from behind for the first time this season.  KP tied the game 1-1 but shortly after Franklin went up 2-1 and that was the score at the end of 1.  The 2^nd quarter was a good battle with KP tying the game 2-2 then Franklin taking the lead 3-2 KP put one in before the end of the half.  Half time score 3-3.

In the third Franklin continued to control the pace of the game netting a goal and taking the lead 4-3 and that was the score at the end of 3.  In the fourth the game went back and forth but KPs Defense held off Franklins Offense.  The game remained 4-3 till about 2 ½ minutes to go when KP netted the tying goal.  With the game tied at the end of regulation in to overtime we went KP control the ball in the first overtime hitting the post but at the end of 4mins game was still 4-4.  On to OT 2 Franklin went early on the faceoff giving the ball to KP with that KP went on to score the winning goal.  This was a great game with both teams giving everything they had.

Round 1 will begin tonight, Friday, June 3rd.

Game 1: Franklin Panthers v Westwood Wolverines, Beaver St Field, Franklin, 6:00 PM

Game 2: Walpole Rebels v King-Philip Warriors, Turco Field, Walpole, 8:00 PM

King-Philip  v Franklin

Our regular season has come to a close and we are now entering The 2011 Playoffs!

For 2011, the top 4 ranked teams will enter the playoffs. The semi finals will be:

Game 1: King-Philip vs Westwood, Friday, 5/20, 6:00 PM, Anderson Field, Wrentham

Game 2: Franklin vs Walpole, Friday, 5/20, 6:00 PM, Beaver St Field, Franklin

The winners of game 1 and game 2 will meet for the U13 FNL Championship!

Match	Score
May 20, 2011 6:00 pm Anderson D Field, Wrentham –	10 - 3
May 20, 2011 6:00 pm Beaver St Field, Franklin –	9 - 8
June 3, 2011 6:00 pm Rice Complex, Wrentham –	-:-

U13 SEMI-FINAL PREVIEW

King-Philip vs Westwood

This is a seed 1 v seed 4 game. The most disparate records in the playoffs; KP is a 6-0 team, Westwood a 3-3 team. The game results aren’t the real story here, the real story is found in the statistics and by all accounts King-Philip is a monster of a team, doling out beat downs as if the other teams owe them cash. Digest this for a second, KP has found the back of the cage 70 times this season while only allowing 8 goals. Eight. An average of 1.3 goals per game while killing the cage on the other end with almost 12 goals per game.

Westwood is going to have to become very aggressive offensively if they are to overcome the stingy KP defense. The Wolverines are a very balanced team, they’ve averaged nearly 6 goals per game, but they’ve also allowed an average just over 5 goals per game. Shutting down the KP offensive is a task unto itself, but finding the back of the cage will be the real test.

The last time these teams met, it was a 10-2 game in favor of KP. Westwood wants to return the favor.

Prediction: Warriors, and a long ride back to Wolverine town.

Franklin vs Walpole

By rights this should be the closer game in the semi-finals, however the last time these teams met at Beaver Street it was a 15-0 rout by the Panthers. Has Walpole learned anything since that game earlier in the season?

Looking at the numbers, Franklin leans towards being a very offensive team averaging almost 11 goals per game while Walpole appears to allow more than 6 goals per game. Walpole has actually allowed more goals than they’ve put up with a 35:38 ratio.

Walpole has gained some confidence and should find the cage this time around, but the Panthers are also on a 4 game winning streak and they’ve rested with their last game on 5/6.

Prediction: Panthers, Rebels start their golfing season early.

U13, Monday, 5/16, 6:00 PM, Oldham School Field, Norwood

U15, Wednesday, 5/18, 6:00 PM, Callahan School Field, Norwood

U13 KP v Foxboro, Rice Fields Complex, Wrentham, 6:00 PM