Warsaw Boys Win Physical Game Over Marion
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Dale [email protected]
In what was a physical contest, to say the least, the Tigers beat Marion 4-0 and will play Twin Lakes Saturday at 2 p.m. Twin Lakes advanced by beating Maconaquah 1-0 in Wednesday's first semifinal game.[[In-content Ad]]Warsaw will be without the services of sophomore Diego Lopez and junior Corey Lopez, who were red-carded following a second-half incident in which punches were thrown, both benches emptied and fans and school administrators ran onto the field.
Marion senior Josh Garcia also received a red card.
"I don't know what happened," Warsaw coach Scott Bauer said of the skirmish, which took place with 27 minutes remaining in the game, and with the Tigers already leading 4-0. "I was pulling players off, one of whom was Corey Lopez, who felt he needed to defend his little brother. We've had a good year with yellow cards and we've only had one other red card. I was pleased with our players' composure for the most part."
Cory Lopez scored twice against Marion, while Diego Lopez and junior Jose Rodriguez scored one goal each for the Tigers.
Seniors Joey Hickerson and Brody Reinholt each had an assist for Warsaw.
Through 20 games this season, Corey Lopez leads the Tigers with 13 goals, while Diego Lopez has scored 12 goals.
The Tigers are now 17-2-1, while Marion finished its season with a 16-3 record.
"We had a pretty decent scouting report on Marion," said Bauer, whose team beat Marion in last year's regional championship at Argos High School. "We knew it would be physical, and we made some adjustments. I thought we did a good job with those adjustments."
Corey Lopez scored the first goal of the game in the 21st minute, while Rodriguez scored in the 37th minute to give the Tigers a 2-0 lead at halftime.
The Giants had point-blank opportunities to score in the waning moments of the first half, but strong play and quick reflexes by Warsaw's defenders and junior goalkeeper David Johnson turned Marion away.
Diego Lopez put the Tigers up 3-0 when he scored off an assist by Hickerson in the 47th minute. Three minutes later, Corey Lopez headed the ball past Marion's senior goalkeeper, Riley Reese, off an assist from Reinholt.
While the game had been physical up to that point, it took a turn for the worse three minutes later, when Garcia and Diego Lopez were involved in a physical skirmish in the far corner of the field.
Players and coaches from both benches ran in, and administrators and fans came out of the stands and made their way onto the field.
With the Lopez brothers suspended from Saturday's game, an automatic punishment for receiving a red card, Bauer must institute a different game plan if the Tigers are to win their third straight regional championship.
"We'll have to do some things different, but we've got a lot of quality to fill the void left by the Lopez brothers," said Bauer. "We've got plenty of guys on this team that can step up."
Corey Lopez leads Warsaw with 13 goals this season, while Diego Lopez has scored 12 goals.
Rodriguez and sophomore Nathan Kolbe have scored five goals each this season, while Reinholt and Xavier Arellanes have scored three goals each.
While the Lopez brothers provide a lot of flair offensively, Warsaw's defense has been just as impressive this season.
Wednesday's win over Marion was the 10th-straight victory by the Tigers. Warsaw has won its last nine games by shutout. The Tigers have shut out 15 of their 20 opponents thus far.
WARSAW 4, MARION 0
(Scoring)
First Half
W - Corey Lopez (Jose Rodriguez assist) 21st minute
W - Rodriguez 37th minute
Second Half
W - Diego Lopez (Joey Hickerson assist) 47th minute
W - Corey Lopez (Brody Reinholt assist) 5oth minute
Records: Warsaw 17-2-1, Marion 16-3
In what was a physical contest, to say the least, the Tigers beat Marion 4-0 and will play Twin Lakes Saturday at 2 p.m. Twin Lakes advanced by beating Maconaquah 1-0 in Wednesday's first semifinal game.[[In-content Ad]]Warsaw will be without the services of sophomore Diego Lopez and junior Corey Lopez, who were red-carded following a second-half incident in which punches were thrown, both benches emptied and fans and school administrators ran onto the field.
Marion senior Josh Garcia also received a red card.
"I don't know what happened," Warsaw coach Scott Bauer said of the skirmish, which took place with 27 minutes remaining in the game, and with the Tigers already leading 4-0. "I was pulling players off, one of whom was Corey Lopez, who felt he needed to defend his little brother. We've had a good year with yellow cards and we've only had one other red card. I was pleased with our players' composure for the most part."
Cory Lopez scored twice against Marion, while Diego Lopez and junior Jose Rodriguez scored one goal each for the Tigers.
Seniors Joey Hickerson and Brody Reinholt each had an assist for Warsaw.
Through 20 games this season, Corey Lopez leads the Tigers with 13 goals, while Diego Lopez has scored 12 goals.
The Tigers are now 17-2-1, while Marion finished its season with a 16-3 record.
"We had a pretty decent scouting report on Marion," said Bauer, whose team beat Marion in last year's regional championship at Argos High School. "We knew it would be physical, and we made some adjustments. I thought we did a good job with those adjustments."
Corey Lopez scored the first goal of the game in the 21st minute, while Rodriguez scored in the 37th minute to give the Tigers a 2-0 lead at halftime.
The Giants had point-blank opportunities to score in the waning moments of the first half, but strong play and quick reflexes by Warsaw's defenders and junior goalkeeper David Johnson turned Marion away.
Diego Lopez put the Tigers up 3-0 when he scored off an assist by Hickerson in the 47th minute. Three minutes later, Corey Lopez headed the ball past Marion's senior goalkeeper, Riley Reese, off an assist from Reinholt.
While the game had been physical up to that point, it took a turn for the worse three minutes later, when Garcia and Diego Lopez were involved in a physical skirmish in the far corner of the field.
Players and coaches from both benches ran in, and administrators and fans came out of the stands and made their way onto the field.
With the Lopez brothers suspended from Saturday's game, an automatic punishment for receiving a red card, Bauer must institute a different game plan if the Tigers are to win their third straight regional championship.
"We'll have to do some things different, but we've got a lot of quality to fill the void left by the Lopez brothers," said Bauer. "We've got plenty of guys on this team that can step up."
Corey Lopez leads Warsaw with 13 goals this season, while Diego Lopez has scored 12 goals.
Rodriguez and sophomore Nathan Kolbe have scored five goals each this season, while Reinholt and Xavier Arellanes have scored three goals each.
While the Lopez brothers provide a lot of flair offensively, Warsaw's defense has been just as impressive this season.
Wednesday's win over Marion was the 10th-straight victory by the Tigers. Warsaw has won its last nine games by shutout. The Tigers have shut out 15 of their 20 opponents thus far.
WARSAW 4, MARION 0
(Scoring)
First Half
W - Corey Lopez (Jose Rodriguez assist) 21st minute
W - Rodriguez 37th minute
Second Half
W - Diego Lopez (Joey Hickerson assist) 47th minute
W - Corey Lopez (Brody Reinholt assist) 5oth minute
Records: Warsaw 17-2-1, Marion 16-3
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