Homestead and Warsaw met at the Tiger Soccer Complex Wednesday night in a battle of two of the top teams in the northern half of the state. The game was ultra competitive with both sides putting together plenty of chances, but no goals, with the game ending in a 0-0 tie.
Throughout the beginning of the contest, the pace of play was dictated primarily by the visiting Spartans. Homestead was consistently first to the ball, used solid teamwork to move the ball forward, and had little issue imposing their will on the home side.
It was an incredibly physical first half, with each side getting away with a fair share of contact and getting the benefit of the doubt from the referee. Jerseys were being pulled, heavy tackles were being made, but the two sides continued to play on.
The Tigers put together their first big chance of the half 10 minutes into the game, with a nice lead pass making its way to Mydin Burgher, who just missed his target on the ensuing shot. That one opportunity was all Warsaw seemed to need, as the game completely flipped on its head from this point on.
The home side began playing the style they wanted to, controlling the ball for long spells and forcing Homestead to defend in their own end. The Tigers were now the ones in control, and while the team was unable to find the back of the net, they had plenty of opportunities.
Perhaps the closest the Tigers came to putting a goal on the board came 20 minutes into the game. A nice run by Sam Lara got the ball deep into the box, and a perfectly timed pass to Burgher set the junior up with a prime opportunity. However, his shot would go just high off the crossbar, keeping things scoreless.

    Sam Lara (L) of Warsaw and Grady Wilkins of Homestead go head-to-head in a battle for the ball...Nieter

Among the offensive stars for Warsaw in the game were junior Andy Vass, who created plenty of chances for the Tigers on the wing with his blazing speed and great footwork. Vass had a few chances at net himself, but winded up deferring to Burgher and the other forwards.
The end result of a super-close first half was a 0-0 tie after 40 minutes. Margins were so thin that whoever was to score first was anyone's guess.
Ten minutes into the second half, the deadlock still hadn’t been broken, with both sides getting a fair amount of chances to take the lead. The Spartans came awfully close on a corner kick in the 10th minute, getting a rebound off of Warsaw keeper Finn Bailey. The senior was there to make a second save in a matter of seconds to keep things level.
A minute later, the Tigers had a chance after a scramble in front of the net gave Burgher yet another shot on goal. This one would roll just wide, resulting in a loud groan from the Warsaw faithful. It would be quite some time until the next big chance for either side, as the ball changed possession a plethora of times over the next 10 minutes.
With 20 minutes to go in the game, Tiger forward Jamie Haynes-Bright made his first touch in the game a meaningful one, putting a shot on goal that ended up being saved. That was followed up a few minutes later by a Homestead shot that went just wide. Fifteen minutes now remained and the first goal was yet to be scored.
That number soon became 10 minutes, with still no opener in sight. Both teams were emptying the tank at this point, going the length of the field in each direction with hopes of putting a winner in the back of the net. Five minutes now remained.
Fatigue was starting to set in, with each team making mistakes they had not made for the first 75 minutes. One of those mistakes almost resulted in a goal for Warsaw. A mistake by the Homestead keeper gave Burgher a wide open net with nobody to beat. Inexplicably, the keeper tackled Burgher in the box, and no foul was called.
That would be the last chance in the game, with the final buzzer sounding without a goal going on the board.
Warsaw (8-1-2) plays their next game at Fort Wayne Canterbury Saturday against Carroll.