GOSHEN - Tuesday night's Bethany Christian soccer sectional showdown between Westview and Warsaw was taken to penalty kicks by two underclassmen. The Warriors rode the leg of sophomore Cheri Borkholder and penalty kicks to a 2-1 win over Warsaw and a Thursday match with Lakeland.

The scuttlebutt heading into the contest was about Westview senior Jamie Gallmeyer.

Gallmeyer, who is one of just three girls to have scored 100 goals in state history, had 107 goals heading into the match against the Tigers but was held in check by Warsaw's defense.

"There was a lot of press going on about Gallmeyer going for the state record. It wasn't going to be against us. We controlled the middle of the field. She wasn't a factor," said Warsaw coach Mike Getz.

The Tigers' offense was dealt a blow earlier in the season when sophomore Abby Rankin was injured for the remainder of the season.

Warsaw showed no ill effects from Rankin's injury and controlled the tempo for much of the match against Westview.

Just seven minutes into the match freshman, Kaitlin Cunningham sailed a shot just wide after a Warsaw corner kick.

The Tigers had many chances in the first half but were unable to convert.

On the other end, Westview struggled to enter the attacking third and was forced to pack in its defenders to stop Warsaw.

For the match, the Tigers had 10 shots on goal compared to Westview's four.

Warsaw became shorthanded in the last six minutes when forward Raquel Trejo was yellow-carded and substituted for another freshman, Courtney Flamion. The Warriors were unable to take advantage as both teams ended the half scoreless.

The Tigers continued their aggressive play in the second half controlling the tempo and the ball. Sophomore Katie Dawson drew Warsaw's second yellow card of the night in the 55th minute of the contest.

A minute later, Warsaw's Amy Durgin sent a free kick wide right of the net and Westview goalie Emily Lamkin.

Five minutes after Durgin's free kick, Borkholder slipped past two Tigers and broke into the open field. Borkholder, who was a step ahead of charging Warsaw defenders, sent a shot past Tiger keeper Kelsey Alcorn to give Westview the 1-0 lead.

Alcorn finished the year with a goal against average of a paltry 1.61.

Down but far from out, the Tigers continued their aggressive play. Durgin had another shot on goal that sailed right in the 68th minute, but it wasn't until Cunningham nailed a booming kick into the upper right-hand corner of the net from more than 20 yards out to tie the match at 1-1 in the 74th minute.

The Tigers spend the final minutes of the match deluging Lamkin and the Warrior defense with shots, none of which broke the plain of the goal.

After two seven-minute overtimes, the two battle tested squads faced a shootout.

The lone miss of the session was by Warsaw's Amanda Kahn, and when Westview's Tara Miller rolled past Alcorn, Westview knocked the Tigers out of the sectional for the first time since 2000.

Despite the loss, Getz understands what his team overcame.

"We had a good season, considering the adversity we faced especially during the middle of the season. We had our shots tonight. We just couldn't put it in the back of the net," he said.

While Warsaw controlled the tempo of the game and out shot Westview, the scoreboard is what matters.

"That's soccer," said Getz. "You can have the run of the game and one shot can change everything."

Along with an advantage in shots, the Tigers had six shots on goal compared to just three by Westview.

Warsaw finished the season with a record of 8-6-3 overall. [[In-content Ad]]