Last-Minute Winner Breaks Tiger Hearts, Ends Season
October 13, 2022 at 1:49 a.m.
Last-Minute Winner Breaks Tiger Hearts, Ends Season
By Connor McCann-
It would be the Millers that dictated the early pace of the game. Warsaw would have a few opportunities to spread the field out, but each attack was quickly and forcefully shut down. Noblesville would not do much in terms of putting shots on goal during the early stretch, but the home team would control just about everything else.
As the game wore on and the teams continued feeling each other out, the Tigers were able to string together a few nice passes to conjure up some scoring opportunities. While the passes to put Warsaw in position would be crisp, the team lacked the final assist necessary to generate a shot on goal.
The up-and-down pace would pay dividends for the home team. A long pass following a Warsaw attack would give Sam Divis some open space and just one defender to beat. Divis’ defender would slip in the box and gift the senior an open shot on net. Divis would make it count and put the Millers on the scoreboard 15 minutes into the contest.
Looking to even the game in the first half, the Tigers would switch gears after the first goal of the match was conceded. Warsaw would have two very good opportunities. The first would come on a free kick that was headed away at the last second by a Noblesville defender. The second would come after a bad turnover on the Millers’ side of the field with eight and a half minutes left. A pass would find Isaiah Lara with a ton of open room. A Miller defender would bring down Lara hard and no foul would be called. Lara was helped off of the field after the play was over.
Just a few minutes later, Noblesville would commit another foul near the box, this one being called. Senior Dennis Hernandez would be called upon to take the free kick. The choice was the right one, as Hernandez would bury his shot into the top right corner of the net to even the game at 1-1.
The two teams would trade chances in the final five minutes but neither side would be able to break the tie. Coming out of halftime, the Tigers were awarded an early free kick near the Miller net, but were unable to find a go-ahead goal.
Warsaw’s next big chance would come 18 minutes into the second half, when Hernandez would attempt another free kick from just outside the box. The shot looked good and would curve back towards the net, but was unable to get there. The shot went just wide and the game remained even.
A few minutes later Noblesville would strike with its own opportunity. A fantastic cross would find an unmarked Divis alone in the box. He would fire a laser on target but senior keeper Nehemiah Wright was there to block the shot with his legs. The fantastic save would keep the game level a little while longer.
The game would continue on with both teams earning possession and giving it right back. It was a hard-fought battle by both sides that seemed as if it could go on all night. In the last five or six minutes it was Noblesville that began to push on further, making the Millers’ chances come more and more frequently.
The home team’s final chance would be the only one it needed. Wright would easily deal with a long shot from Noblesville, but a rebound was allowed. Even with two Tiger defenders in the area, Miller forward Sam Holland was able to find the ball and bury it into the back of the net with one minute and one second remaining on the clock.
With one last effort able to be made before time expired, Warsaw hurried down the field and tried to set up its offense. The team’s final shot was a good one, but sailed high of the crossbar to end the contest. The Tigers end their season with a 15-4-1 record while Noblesville travels to Kokomo to face off with Carroll in the regional final Saturday.
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It would be the Millers that dictated the early pace of the game. Warsaw would have a few opportunities to spread the field out, but each attack was quickly and forcefully shut down. Noblesville would not do much in terms of putting shots on goal during the early stretch, but the home team would control just about everything else.
As the game wore on and the teams continued feeling each other out, the Tigers were able to string together a few nice passes to conjure up some scoring opportunities. While the passes to put Warsaw in position would be crisp, the team lacked the final assist necessary to generate a shot on goal.
The up-and-down pace would pay dividends for the home team. A long pass following a Warsaw attack would give Sam Divis some open space and just one defender to beat. Divis’ defender would slip in the box and gift the senior an open shot on net. Divis would make it count and put the Millers on the scoreboard 15 minutes into the contest.
Looking to even the game in the first half, the Tigers would switch gears after the first goal of the match was conceded. Warsaw would have two very good opportunities. The first would come on a free kick that was headed away at the last second by a Noblesville defender. The second would come after a bad turnover on the Millers’ side of the field with eight and a half minutes left. A pass would find Isaiah Lara with a ton of open room. A Miller defender would bring down Lara hard and no foul would be called. Lara was helped off of the field after the play was over.
Just a few minutes later, Noblesville would commit another foul near the box, this one being called. Senior Dennis Hernandez would be called upon to take the free kick. The choice was the right one, as Hernandez would bury his shot into the top right corner of the net to even the game at 1-1.
The two teams would trade chances in the final five minutes but neither side would be able to break the tie. Coming out of halftime, the Tigers were awarded an early free kick near the Miller net, but were unable to find a go-ahead goal.
Warsaw’s next big chance would come 18 minutes into the second half, when Hernandez would attempt another free kick from just outside the box. The shot looked good and would curve back towards the net, but was unable to get there. The shot went just wide and the game remained even.
A few minutes later Noblesville would strike with its own opportunity. A fantastic cross would find an unmarked Divis alone in the box. He would fire a laser on target but senior keeper Nehemiah Wright was there to block the shot with his legs. The fantastic save would keep the game level a little while longer.
The game would continue on with both teams earning possession and giving it right back. It was a hard-fought battle by both sides that seemed as if it could go on all night. In the last five or six minutes it was Noblesville that began to push on further, making the Millers’ chances come more and more frequently.
The home team’s final chance would be the only one it needed. Wright would easily deal with a long shot from Noblesville, but a rebound was allowed. Even with two Tiger defenders in the area, Miller forward Sam Holland was able to find the ball and bury it into the back of the net with one minute and one second remaining on the clock.
With one last effort able to be made before time expired, Warsaw hurried down the field and tried to set up its offense. The team’s final shot was a good one, but sailed high of the crossbar to end the contest. The Tigers end their season with a 15-4-1 record while Noblesville travels to Kokomo to face off with Carroll in the regional final Saturday.
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