Lady Tigers Advance To Sectional FinalBrenna Buhrt, Warsaw girls soccer coach Jon Hoover said with a smile on his face, has a knack for playing well against Huntington North.
As a sophomore, Buhrt scored all of her team's goals in a 3-2 overtime win over Huntington North in last year's sectional final.
Buhrt was at it again Thursday evening, netting two goals to help the Class 3A No. 15 Lady Tigers to a 6-1 sectional semifinal win over the Lady Vikings (12-5), a victory that set up a 2 p.m. championship match against No. 7 Homestead Saturday at the Tiger Soccer Complex.
“I thought Brenna Buhrt was phenomenal. It's fun thinking back to the Huntington North game last year when she had the hat trick,” Hoover said of his talented junior midfielder.
“She plays well against Huntington North. She was moving at a really high level today, and Audrey Grimm on the other side of the field was playing at a high level today. When they're both on, it's a lot of fun to watch. I felt like we were able to move the ball side to side very well and effectively. Like I said, when they're both playing well we're a hard team to defend against.”
The host Lady Tigers didn't waste any time setting the tone, as Grimm scored in the fourth minute on an assist from Buhrt.
Warsaw, now 12-4-1 on the season, led 4-0 after just 22 minutes, and got the four goals from four different players.
After Grimm's goal, Abby Steffensmeier scored in the 14th minute, Buhrt in the 17th minute and Delaney Taylor in the 22nd minute.
Huntington North's Addison Wiley scored in the 33rd minute to cut the Lady Tigers' advantage to 4-1 going into halftime.
“Moving the ball side to side opens different passing seams,” Hoover said when asked about his team's balanced goal scoring attack in the first half. “It doesn't have to be a forward, it doesn't have to be a midfielder, and even Dayle Harvey was attacking out of the back.
“A lot of it is just the unselfishness of the team, moving the ball, letting everyone touch the ball. It doesn't allow teams to focus on one player, and because of that we can create a lot of 2-on-1 and odd-man advantages for us.”
Buhrt scored her second goal of the match in the 43rd minute, pushing Warsaw's lead to 5-1.
Not to be outdone by her teammate, Grimm scored her second goal in the 49th minute to account for the final score.
Homestead won Thursday's first semifinal match 7-1 over Fort Wayne Wayne and improved to 14-3.
The Lady Spartans beat Warsaw 2-0 on Aug. 30, and did so without ultra-talented freshman Amelia White, a member of the U15 United States National Team.
The week Homestead beat Warsaw 2-0 in Fort Wayne, White scored a trio of goals in a match against China.
“Obviously, if you play at that level you’re a solid player,” Hoover said when asked about facing a player of White’s caliber. “She’s a very good player, she brings a lot of pace, but they have more players than just her.
“She definitely brings another dynamic to that team. I feel like they do play a different style when she’s there, not better or worse, just different. She’s a handful up top, and she’s somebody we’re gonna need to know where she is. She’ll draw attention, she’s just a good player.”
