Soccer Game Preview: Franklin vs. Smoky Mountain

The Franklin Panthers will head out to face off against the Smoky Mountain Mustangs at 6:00 p.m. on Monday. Smoky Mountain took a loss in their last contest and will be looking to turn the tables on Franklin, who comes in off a win.

Franklin had to skate by with only a one-goal margin when they last took the pitch, which might have inspired the four-goal drubbing they dealt Asheville School (Independent) on Thursday. The Panthers blew past the Blues 5-1. The final result isn't all that surprising considering Franklin's considerable advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina soccer rankings (they are ranked 125th, while Asheville School (Independent) are ranked 368th).

Meanwhile, Friday just wasn't the day for Smoky Mountain's offense. They came up short against Brevard on Friday, falling 9-0. Smoky Mountain haven't had much luck with Brevard recently, as the team has come up short the last four times they've met.

Franklin is on a roll lately: they've won six of their last eight matches. That's provided a nice bump to their 10-5-2 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they scored 24 goals over those eight matchups. As for Smoky Mountain, their defeat dropped their record down to 10-9-2.

Franklin skirted past Smoky Mountain 2-1 in their previous meeting back in April. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Panthers since the squad won't have the home-pitch advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.