Tigers Beat LCA In Soccer Action
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Anthony [email protected]
Outside of the 14th-ranked Warsaw Tigers surviving the LCA Cougars 1-0, the party atmosphere included free soda and hamburgers by the Warsaw Community Church Students, as well as background music the entire match.[[In-content Ad]]"They know we come to play in this rivalry," LCA coach Jon Hoover said. "Usually, they're on the better end of the rivalry, but we had our fans here. A great number of fans. It was a lot of fun to play in front of them. There were a lot of Warsaw fans as well.
"It would be nice if we came this hard to play in every game, but it's nice to fabricate that kind of atmosphere," he added.
Going in, one may have thought the 9-1-2 Tigers would roll in the match against the 6-6-1 Cougars, but that definitely wasn't the case.
Despite finishing the game with eight shots on goal to LCA's two, it took a penalty kick by Warsaw senior Micah Price with 13:08 left in the first half to decide the game.
"We got the shift right about 10 minutes into the first half, it was just one of those days where you're hitting the post and missing things you usually convert," Warsaw coach Scott Bauer said. "It's frustrating for the guys. They wish they could have put them away, but it's good for everyone that was here. It was a great match and everyone was excited all the way to the very end."
Because of some misfires by the Tigers, LCA actually had a golden opportunity to tie the game with 3:31 remaining in the contest.
During a mad dash to retrieve a pass deep in Warsaw territory, when one of LCA junior Jamie Duchane, was fouled three feet outside of the goal.
Following the foul, LCA senior Sam Cole took the free kick, but had his shot bounce off the Warsaw wall.
"One of my guys took it right in the stomach," Bauer said.
Trailing just 1-0 late in the contest, Hoover opted to press the issue, perhaps going with a nothing-to-lose attitude.
"With 10 minutes left, we're only down 1-0 to Warsaw, so I decided to put Sam up and pull him out of the back, to see what could happen," Hoover said about moving Cole out of his defensive position. "Either we give up a goal or we score a goal. That's just kind of the way it goes. Sam's a good player, he's got 10 goals on the year, so I figured I'd give him a chance up there - and he almost scored."
LCA didn't get that needed goal, but hanging with the Tigers was a positive sign.
"It seems like Lakeland always gives us a close match," Bauer said. "For whatever reason, I don't know where the protection comes from, but we end up hitting posts and not being able to take care of our opportunities, like I'd like to. But it makes for a great game that way, because it was interesting all the way to the end."
Because both teams basically come from the same city, it holds special meaning for the player, particularly the Cougars.
"I think this is close to their match of the year," Bauer said. "They've always come out focused and ready to play. I tried to tell the guys not to take them lightly. Even though they have a couple girls playing (Duchane and senior Kristen Yocum), those girls are good. They fit right in."
The loss leaves LCA at 6-7-1 on the year, but the Cougars latest loss seemed to be more of a success with the crowd turnout.
"They came out to play, and it's always fun to play Warsaw," Hoover said. "Everybody knows each other on each team. They're just good friends from side to side. It's always a good game, regardless of what the score is. I was proud that my team hung in there. Hopefully we'll continue to do it each year. It's a game we look forward to. Both teams were short a couple of key players, but we both battled through it."
LCA was without junior Scott Koontz and Warsaw took the field without the school's all-time leader in goals and points, senior Jesse Sharp.
"Jesse would like to think he could have had two or three goals," Bauer said of Sharp, who was out after picking up a red card in a 2-1 loss at Fort Wayne Canterbury Thursday. "But I tell you what, the way things were going today, he probably would have been frustrated as well, hitting the post or shooting hit high or wide. We had the personnel needed to put this thing away. It was just one of those days.
"My hat's off to Lakeland Christian," he added. "They played a great match, played all the way to the end and they have a good coach."
LCA is at Manchester Tuesday at 5 p.m., and the Tigers return to Northern Lakes Conference play Thursday at Goshen.
WARSAW 1, LAKELAND CHRISTIAN ACADEMY 0
W - Micah Price (penalty kick) 27th min.
Shots on Goal - Warsaw 8, LCA 2; Saves - Warsaw 2 (Will Brown 1, David Johnson 1), LCA (Jacob Cole) 6; Corner Kicks - Warsaw 8, LCA 1; Fouls (Yellow Card) - Warsaw 13 (Micah Price), LCA 5 (Sam Cole); Records - Warsaw 10-1-2, LCA 6-7-1
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Outside of the 14th-ranked Warsaw Tigers surviving the LCA Cougars 1-0, the party atmosphere included free soda and hamburgers by the Warsaw Community Church Students, as well as background music the entire match.[[In-content Ad]]"They know we come to play in this rivalry," LCA coach Jon Hoover said. "Usually, they're on the better end of the rivalry, but we had our fans here. A great number of fans. It was a lot of fun to play in front of them. There were a lot of Warsaw fans as well.
"It would be nice if we came this hard to play in every game, but it's nice to fabricate that kind of atmosphere," he added.
Going in, one may have thought the 9-1-2 Tigers would roll in the match against the 6-6-1 Cougars, but that definitely wasn't the case.
Despite finishing the game with eight shots on goal to LCA's two, it took a penalty kick by Warsaw senior Micah Price with 13:08 left in the first half to decide the game.
"We got the shift right about 10 minutes into the first half, it was just one of those days where you're hitting the post and missing things you usually convert," Warsaw coach Scott Bauer said. "It's frustrating for the guys. They wish they could have put them away, but it's good for everyone that was here. It was a great match and everyone was excited all the way to the very end."
Because of some misfires by the Tigers, LCA actually had a golden opportunity to tie the game with 3:31 remaining in the contest.
During a mad dash to retrieve a pass deep in Warsaw territory, when one of LCA junior Jamie Duchane, was fouled three feet outside of the goal.
Following the foul, LCA senior Sam Cole took the free kick, but had his shot bounce off the Warsaw wall.
"One of my guys took it right in the stomach," Bauer said.
Trailing just 1-0 late in the contest, Hoover opted to press the issue, perhaps going with a nothing-to-lose attitude.
"With 10 minutes left, we're only down 1-0 to Warsaw, so I decided to put Sam up and pull him out of the back, to see what could happen," Hoover said about moving Cole out of his defensive position. "Either we give up a goal or we score a goal. That's just kind of the way it goes. Sam's a good player, he's got 10 goals on the year, so I figured I'd give him a chance up there - and he almost scored."
LCA didn't get that needed goal, but hanging with the Tigers was a positive sign.
"It seems like Lakeland always gives us a close match," Bauer said. "For whatever reason, I don't know where the protection comes from, but we end up hitting posts and not being able to take care of our opportunities, like I'd like to. But it makes for a great game that way, because it was interesting all the way to the end."
Because both teams basically come from the same city, it holds special meaning for the player, particularly the Cougars.
"I think this is close to their match of the year," Bauer said. "They've always come out focused and ready to play. I tried to tell the guys not to take them lightly. Even though they have a couple girls playing (Duchane and senior Kristen Yocum), those girls are good. They fit right in."
The loss leaves LCA at 6-7-1 on the year, but the Cougars latest loss seemed to be more of a success with the crowd turnout.
"They came out to play, and it's always fun to play Warsaw," Hoover said. "Everybody knows each other on each team. They're just good friends from side to side. It's always a good game, regardless of what the score is. I was proud that my team hung in there. Hopefully we'll continue to do it each year. It's a game we look forward to. Both teams were short a couple of key players, but we both battled through it."
LCA was without junior Scott Koontz and Warsaw took the field without the school's all-time leader in goals and points, senior Jesse Sharp.
"Jesse would like to think he could have had two or three goals," Bauer said of Sharp, who was out after picking up a red card in a 2-1 loss at Fort Wayne Canterbury Thursday. "But I tell you what, the way things were going today, he probably would have been frustrated as well, hitting the post or shooting hit high or wide. We had the personnel needed to put this thing away. It was just one of those days.
"My hat's off to Lakeland Christian," he added. "They played a great match, played all the way to the end and they have a good coach."
LCA is at Manchester Tuesday at 5 p.m., and the Tigers return to Northern Lakes Conference play Thursday at Goshen.
WARSAW 1, LAKELAND CHRISTIAN ACADEMY 0
W - Micah Price (penalty kick) 27th min.
Shots on Goal - Warsaw 8, LCA 2; Saves - Warsaw 2 (Will Brown 1, David Johnson 1), LCA (Jacob Cole) 6; Corner Kicks - Warsaw 8, LCA 1; Fouls (Yellow Card) - Warsaw 13 (Micah Price), LCA 5 (Sam Cole); Records - Warsaw 10-1-2, LCA 6-7-1
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