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Two of the top boys soccer teams in the Northern Lakes Conference met in Dunlap on Wednesday night with Concord hosting Warsaw. After an incredibly competitive first half, the Minutemen were able to score two goals in rapid succession to begin the second half to pave the way to a 3-2 victory.
The Tigers were on their toes from the opening whistle, as Concord quickly took control of the game by dominating possession in the offensive end. Each Warsaw touch was rare and often didn’t result in a second one.
Even with the Minutemen breathing down their necks from the word go, the Tiger defense seemed up to the challenge. Outside of one Concord shot that sailed just wide of the net, the visitors did a great job of making sure that those long offensive spells weren’t also resulting in a barrage of shots.
After weathering the storm, it was Warsaw’s turn to generate some offense. Both Andy Vass and Mydin Burgher were able to get good looks at the net, but both shots were saved. By the time the midway point of the first half had come around, the Tigers had settled in completely and had turned the table on their opponent.
Like Warsaw before them, the Minutemen were able to withstand the pressure, denying opportunity after opportunity for the visitors. The home team’s next chance ended up being a golden one, as senior Yurem Castro was able to break free on a counter attack. Tiger keeper Isaac Summers did well to block his initial shot, but unfortunately for him, the ball landed right back at Castro’s feet, and he sent it into the wide open net for a 1-0 Concord lead with 18 minutes until the half.
The goal seemed to wake the Minutemen back up, as they followed it up with a couple more chances. However, the next goal would belong to the other side. With five minutes until the break. a rather chaotic sequence saw a shot by Jonah Caughell get saved. Burgher was able to keep it alive and in bounds, and passed it back. The ball eventually found itself at the feet of Vass, and he did the rest. A rocket into the upper right corner of the net tied things up, which is how it remained at the intermission.
Warsaw junior Sam Lara races the ball upfield ahead of Concord's Jeremy Cruz-Urbina during the first half...NIeter
Neither side had lost a step when they returned to action, with players racing up and down the pitch as the ball made its way from once chance to another. About 10 minutes into the second half, the Minutemen broke the tie. After a corner kick seemed to go nowhere, Concord was able to keep possession alive and ended up using a long cross pass to find Castro unmarked in front of the net. The forward didn’t miss a chance this easy, and was able to head it in past Summers for the brace and the lead.
The home side were able to take advantage of the reeling Tiger defense, as just under a minute later, a lapse in the back line freed up Ian De La Paz Olea in front of the net with only the keeper to beat. Like Castro before him, he took advantage of the easy opportunity and made it a 3-1 game just like that.
With rain starting to come down, the conditions got a bit worse on the pitch as Summers continued to get peppered with shots. He did well to keep his team in the game by coming up with some big saves, but the Tiger offense had gone into hibernation.
Then at the midway point of the second half, Warsaw was able to cut the lead in half in a flash. After what felt like their first good run in ages, the visitors were able to win a corner kick. Ricky Anacleto-Melendez stepped in to take it and did it all himself. He’d bend it perfectly into the back of the net, and with 20 minutes left, Warsaw now trailed by just one.
Soon, just 10 minutes remained in the contest and the Tigers had come no closer to finding an equalizer. The team had mustered up a couple of shots during this stretch, but neither posed much of a threat for finding the back of the net.
With about five minutes left, Warsaw was able to string together a few good chances in a row, but time and time again, the Concord defense was able to turn them away and preserve their lead. One shot in particular by Sam Lara looked like it might hit paydirt, but it harmlessly rolled just right of the net. That would be the final chance of the game.
