Lady Tigers, Penn End In Draw
September 14, 2018 at 4:50 p.m.
By Dale [email protected]
In a much-anticipated high school girls soccer matchup of top 10 teams in the Class 3A poll, the ninth-ranked Lady Tigers took two-time defending state champion Penn to the limit before tying the No. 6 Lady Kingsmen 2-2 in overtime.
“I think our team believes they can play with anyone in the state,” said Warsaw coach Jon Hoover, whose team is now 8-2-1 on the season.
“We love playing Penn. Penn beat us 5-0 last year, but Coach (Jeff) Hart came over and encouraged our girls after the game and said he really enjoyed our style of play and that we were going in the right direction. He consistently has a quality program and I think our programs have a mutual respect for each other.
“We have intentionally built a difficult schedule to prepare us for the postseason. Seeing teams like Penn, Homestead and Noblesville (a game that was rained out) only makes us better.”
Warsaw took a 1-0 lead into halftime. The Lady Tigers’ first goal came from 22 yards out as Delaney Taylor scored on an assist from Audrey Grimm.
The hosts, who are now 6-3-2, came out determined in the second half and pressed numbers into their attack. Penn scored a pair of quick goals to take the lead and forced Warsaw to pick up its pace.
The Lady Tigers tied the game in regulation when Brenna Buhrt put the ball over the Penn goalkeeper’s head and off the bottom of the crossbar before it found its way to the back of the net.
“The match was full of emotions,” said Hoover. “Our team is disappointed that we let go of a lead, but we were able to take a step back from the moment and highlight some positives.
“We were down 2-1 at one point to a top 10 team and battled back to get the tie, that’s a character builder that we can build confidence on. I’m proud of our team and the way they worked for each other.”
The Lady Tigers, who have shutout seven of their 11 opponents, are back in action Wednesday when they host Culver Academies.
“Moving forward, we have a lot to improve on,” said Hoover. “Coach Hart and I were talking before the game, and one of the main reasons we enjoy playing each other is that we can expose each other’s weaknesses.
“We did a lot of really good things, but we still aren’t close to our potential, and Penn was able to help show us what areas we can improve on as a team.”
In a much-anticipated high school girls soccer matchup of top 10 teams in the Class 3A poll, the ninth-ranked Lady Tigers took two-time defending state champion Penn to the limit before tying the No. 6 Lady Kingsmen 2-2 in overtime.
“I think our team believes they can play with anyone in the state,” said Warsaw coach Jon Hoover, whose team is now 8-2-1 on the season.
“We love playing Penn. Penn beat us 5-0 last year, but Coach (Jeff) Hart came over and encouraged our girls after the game and said he really enjoyed our style of play and that we were going in the right direction. He consistently has a quality program and I think our programs have a mutual respect for each other.
“We have intentionally built a difficult schedule to prepare us for the postseason. Seeing teams like Penn, Homestead and Noblesville (a game that was rained out) only makes us better.”
Warsaw took a 1-0 lead into halftime. The Lady Tigers’ first goal came from 22 yards out as Delaney Taylor scored on an assist from Audrey Grimm.
The hosts, who are now 6-3-2, came out determined in the second half and pressed numbers into their attack. Penn scored a pair of quick goals to take the lead and forced Warsaw to pick up its pace.
The Lady Tigers tied the game in regulation when Brenna Buhrt put the ball over the Penn goalkeeper’s head and off the bottom of the crossbar before it found its way to the back of the net.
“The match was full of emotions,” said Hoover. “Our team is disappointed that we let go of a lead, but we were able to take a step back from the moment and highlight some positives.
“We were down 2-1 at one point to a top 10 team and battled back to get the tie, that’s a character builder that we can build confidence on. I’m proud of our team and the way they worked for each other.”
The Lady Tigers, who have shutout seven of their 11 opponents, are back in action Wednesday when they host Culver Academies.
“Moving forward, we have a lot to improve on,” said Hoover. “Coach Hart and I were talking before the game, and one of the main reasons we enjoy playing each other is that we can expose each other’s weaknesses.
“We did a lot of really good things, but we still aren’t close to our potential, and Penn was able to help show us what areas we can improve on as a team.”
Have a news tip? Email [email protected] or Call/Text 360-922-3092