The Knights (6-1 in region) led 3-0 by halftime after defeating Warren 4-1 on Aug. 30.

“Credit to Franklin,” said Warren coach Steffen Blair, whose Dragons are now 6-2 in the region with both losses to the Knights. “We got outplayed and outworked for 80 minutes.”

Nate Pfenningwerth scored twice for Franklin and Spencer Riley and Seldon Bean once apiece.

“It’s definitely a disappointing performance, but we have a resilient group of boys and we’ll come together as a team to make sure this match is an anomaly,” said Blair.

Warren junior defender Chase Sitler heads the ball away from Franklin senior Chippy Whitling (3) on Monday in a 4-0 Region 4 loss to the Knights at War Memorial Field. Photo courtesy of Mark Evans

With the ball in Franklin’s end for much of the game, Warren goalie Adon Maier had six saves of the Knights’ 10 shots on goal. Quinn Norris had 14 steals from midfield and Chase Sitler 12 on the back line for Warren.

“If we want to win playoff soccer games, we need to learn to respond better as a team when we get knocked down,” said Warren assistant coach Justin Norris. “Hopefully, this is a turning point for our players. Talking about being ready to play in a tough game and playing like you are ready to win a tough game are different mindsets.”