Warriors Fall To NLC Rival NorthridgeSYRACUSE – Wawasee boys soccer coach Jordan Sharp said it was the same song, just a different verse in the Warriors’ 7-2 Northern Lakes Conference loss to visiting Northridge Tuesday night.
The pattern for the Warriors in conference play has been give up goals early, score to get back in the game, then fall behind again and not be able to regain momentum long enough to win.
The Raiders scored six minutes in to the match before Chris Pena hit Ryan Edington with a centering pass that Edington headed in for the equalizer just two minutes later.
Northridge regained the lead for good in the 12th minute when Micah Cross scored the first of his two goals.
“It’s the same ol’ song and dance all season long where we let teams score, then we rely on our good players to bury one to get some momentum, then we let it fall through the cracks again,” Sharp said. “We’re sitting frustrated, game after game.
The Raiders had a 3-1 lead at halftime, and extended it to 4-1 in the fourth minute after intermission. In the 58th minute, Pena hit Ralphy Cox with a 30-yard pass on a fast break, and Cox found the net from about eight yards out to cut the deficit in half.
The Raiders answered the Cox goal four minutes later, and Wawasee was effectively done.
“I told them ‘this is on you, because you guys don’t figure it out on the field,’“ Sharp said. “It goes back to a maturity issue for our guys, where they need to fill those holes (defensively) and figure things out.”
“It’s really discouraging when we see the potential in our guys. We know it’s there, but they don’t do much about it. We believe we can contend with teams like Northridge, but the results from the season show otherwise.
“It’s hard to watch, especially when some of our players are really talented and are really bringing it. It’s hard when we get back in a game, then drop the ball again and give up goals.
Northridge won the junior varsity match 5-1 over Wawasee. Salvador Rodriguez scored the lone Warrior goal.
The Warriors fell to 5-6-3 overall and 0-6 in the conference. Their last chance for an NLC win comes Thursday night when Wawasee hosts Plymouth at Warrior Field.
NORTHRIDGE 7, WAWASEE 2
N 3 4 – 7
W 1 1 – 2
N – Jonathan Mora (unassisted), 6th minute
W – Ryan Edington (Chris Pena) 8th min
N – Micah Cross (unassisted) 12th min
N – Evan Beasley (Cam Chappell) 28th min
N – Cross (unassisted) 44th min
W – Ralphy Cox (Pena), 56th min
N – Carter Stoltzfus (Chappell) 60th min
N – Anthony Jimenez (unassisted) 68th min
N – Adam Mass (Pierce Keck) 70th min
Records – Northridge 8-4-4 (2-2-2 NLC), Wawasee 5-6-3 (0-6 NLC)
