No. 11 Tigers Whip VikingsHUNTINGTON – The Huntington North Vikings won the first game of the early season in their last contest, and were looking to use that energy against a veteran 4A No. 10 Warsaw Tigers squad. But, it would be the visiting Tigers that would use their energy and attack to find the back of the net early and often in a 7-1 non-conference boys soccer win Tuesday night.
“It was a good start, a little bit more aggressive than usual,” Warsaw head coach Frank Courtois said. “We spoke to the kids and let them know we need to jump early and get aggressive.
The Tigers looked to be aggressive and focused. They were able to control the ball often and keep it in their offensive third of the field, all while creating passing lanes that seemed to be non-existent. That was the formula the visitors used to take a 5-0 advantage going into half.
Warsaw was led by senior Dayne Koontz, who would find the back of the net twice in the first half against the Vikings. He wouldn’t be the only Tiger to finish with two goals as senior Jorge Rico-Rico would put the ball between the posts with his first shot of the day, and then again in the second half to stretch the lead to 6-0.
The defense didn’t slack off either; they were tough and as aggressive as the offense was throughout the game. Senior goalkeeper Harrison Mevis gave up one goal all day on a great shot by the Vikings late in the second half.
“They did what we asked them to do and that put us right there where we need to be,” said Courtois.
With the Tigers taking 15 first half shots, and scoring on five, it was easy to see what the game plan was for them.
With the big first-half lead, the Tigers could have parked the bus and coasted to a victory. But with Northern Lakes Conference play looming, Courtois knew they needed to keep the foot on the gas pedal.
“With this, we wanted to get this game going early to get ready for the first conference game on Thursday because we know it’s going to be an aggressive game and we need to start at this place instead of waiting.”
No one is overlooking the Tigers, but it seems that opponents just can’t figure them out and how to stop such a balanced attack. “We have the potential to put a lot of goals in, we just have to do the little things,” said Courtois
The Tigers, time after time, kept finding the ball in open grass. They went about their business knowing where to be on every touch, which is a sign of the veteran presence Courtois mentioned.
“The seniors know how to control the game, we have a lot of experienced players, good ball controlling players and if we need to slow down the game, we can,” he said.
Warsaw opens NLC play Thursday when Plymouth visits for a 7 p.m. kickoff.
