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There was a ton on the line as the Warsaw girls soccer team hosted Northridge for the final home game of the season. A win for the visitors clinched the Northern Lakes Conference outright. A win for the home side allowed for a three-way tie at the top with the Lady Tigers included. The end result would be the former, as the Lady Raiders were able to hold onto a 1-0 win to take the NLC.
Through 10 minutes of action, both teams had already showcased why they are the cream of the crop in the NLC. Each side was able to generate some momentum of its own, just before it was quickly snatched away by their opponent. Shots on goal were rare, but that didn’t stop either team from putting together some offensive work.
The game’s first real chance came on a corner for the Lady Raiders with 30 minutes left in the first half. The Lady Tigers defended it perfectly, keeping the game scoreless.
Following that initial opportunity, Northridge was able to take control of the game a bit, spending more and more time on the Warsaw side of the field. Faced with this constant pressure, the Lady Tiger back line did well to keep things scoreless as the midway point of the first half was reached.
Five minutes later, that offensive pressure would finally pay dividends. After a long spell of possession and some pretty passing around the box, the ball made its way to the feet of sophomore Edelyn Munoz, and she did the rest. Her second touch was perfect, as she unleashed a high and slow curving ball towards the top-right corner of the net. It was a tough play to make for goalie Audi Gonzales, and the shot ended up finding the back of the net for a 1-0 Lady Raider lead.
Warsaw’s first big opportunity at an equalizer wouldn’t come until six minutes remained in the first half. The home side won a corner kick after a nice cross to the center of the box, but the attempt that followed ended up hitting a Lady Tiger arm and was blown dead.
That would be the final chance of the first half, as the visitors held onto their one-goal advantage going into the break.
Warsaw junior Amy Escutia-Palacios (L) battles Brylee Yoder of Northridge for the ball during the first half...Nieter
The status quo hadn’t changed much 10 minutes into the second half. The game was being played in the midfield a majority of the time with the occasional advancement into the offensive zone. For a bit, both sides had equal opportunity, but neither team was able to put together anything more than a couple of passes.
Around the midway point of the second half, the urgency picked up for the Lady Tigers as the home side looked for an equalizer. Warsaw began spending a bit more time closer to the Northridge net, but the Lady Raider defense that had stifled the home side all night long continued to do so. Outside of one corner kick earlier in the half, Warsaw was unable to generate anything.
The visitors very nearly made it 2-0 with 10 minutes left in the game, but the long shot bounced off of the crossbar and into the hands of Gonzales. That ended up being the final big chance of the game. The Lady Tiger defense struggled to generate anything against the tough Northridge defense, with the score holding until the final whistle.
Warsaw (7-5-2, 5-2 NLC) will play Elkhart in the semifinal of the girls soccer sectional at Goshen on Thursday.
