FRAMINGHAM — A season that saw unparalleled success came to an end for the Franklin Tech boys soccer team after the 14th-seeded Eagles lost to third-seeded Keefe Technical, 6-2, in the MIAA Division 5 state tournament Round of 16 on Wednesday afternoon.
The Eagles won a league championship, advanced to the Western Mass. Class C final and entered the Round of 16 in state tournament play. The message to the Eagles was clear after the game.
“Stay hungry and be proud of what we accomplished,” Franklin Tech coach Dan Prasol said. “I don’t think anyone really saw us turning the program around as quickly as we did. That’s a testament to the players and their commitment and their hard work.”
Nicholas Prasol of Franklin Tech pursues the ball against Keefe Technical, Wednesday in Framingham. Credit: ADAM HARGRAVES / Staff Photo 
Carter Leete of Franklin Tech pursues the ball against Keefe Technical, Wednesday in Framingham. Credit: ADAM HARGRAVES / Staff Photo 
The Franklin Tech boys soccer team celebrates a goal during a timeout against Keefe Technical, Wednesday in Framingham. Credit: ADAM HARGRAVES / Staff Photo 
Cody Yetter of Franklin Tech breaks loose against Keefe Technical, Wednesday in Framingham. Credit: ADAM HARGRAVES / Staff Photo 
Cody Yetter of Franklin Tech (right) goes for the ball against Keefe Academy, Wednesday in Framingham. Credit: ADAM HARGRAVES / Staff Photo 
Nicholas Prasol of Franklin Tech plays the ball on defense against Keefe Technical, Wednesday in Framingham. Credit: ADAM HARGRAVES / Staff Photo 
Jakob George of Franklin Tech plays the ball against Keefe Academy, Wednesday in Framingham. Credit: ADAM HARGRAVES / Staff Photo
After a very competitive first half, the game slipped away from the Eagles as the offensive pressure from the Broncos mounted by the minute.
“The thing I am most proud of these kids is how hard they have worked in every single game,” Prasol said. “We’ve played a lot of soccer in the last couple of days. That game against Old Colony on Monday was not an easy one. To have a one-day turnaround, I think our bodies caught up to us.”
After falling behind early, a goal by Cody Yetter tied the game in the 28th minute. The goal briefly gave Franklin Tech the momentum. The Broncos responded and scored in the 35th minute to go into halftime with a 2-1 lead. Yetter later assisted on a second half goal by Kaiden Price.
“It was an amazing season,” Yetter said. “I’ve come so far since my freshman season when we had two wins. We made a lot of history. Making it to the Round of 16, it’s always amazing to have.”
The six-goal output by the Broncos could have been even more if it wasn’t for the play of Franklin Tech’s Jakob George. The goalkeeper made 16 saves in the game. Some of the saves were the diving variety, and some were on point blank shots.
Regardless of the style of save, George kept Franklin Tech close until the 54th minute when the Broncos scored on a penalty kick. The goal came during a rebound situation after George stopped the initial attempt.
“I just kind of lock in and focus,” George said. “I follow the ball and don’t think. When you think, you overthink. When you overthink, you do everything bad. We have good coaching, he never gave up on us. The players are really dedicated. They wanted to make history and we made history.”
The Broncos took the lead in the 19th minute when Bruno Goncalves fed Abdul Sanusi in front of the net for the game’s first goal. In the 34th minute George made multiple saves after a corner kick to keep the game tied for Franklin Tech. Juan Dantas’ goal in the 35th minute gave the Broncos the lead going into halftime.
Sanusi took advantage of a collision between George and Bennett Bardwell to gather a loose ball and give Keefe Tech a 3-1 lead in the 54th minute. Sanusi would get his hat trick after scoring on a rebound after a penalty kick just minutes later.
Jesse Holzman and Jefry Murcia scored late in the second half for the Broncos.
