Facing off against Northern Lakes Conference Champions Northridge for the second time this season, the Warsaw girls soccer team had its work cut out for them in order to win the match and advance to the 3A sectional championship game at Elkhart. After a masterclass of a defensive performance as well as a timely goal, the Lady Tigers advanced with a 1-0 win.
Northridge began the game on fire, winning possession during the 50/50 balls at a very high rate while also forcing the Warsaw defense to get uncomfortable in the opening minutes. The Lady Raiders were unable to put up any shots on goal during this stretch, but this feeling-out process was going in their favor, as the visitors on the scoreboard were trying a bunch of different tactics to see what would stick.
Despite the fast start by their opponent, it was the Lady Tigers with the first big chance of the match, securing a corner kick seven minutes into the contest. The attempt wasn’t the best, sailing over the head of every player in the box and out of bounds.
Chances were few and far between during the next stretch of game, as the match was being primarily played in the midfield. Neither team was able to possess the ball for very long, as both defenses brought their A-game. While each side was able to make a run or two, it was quickly snuffed out without a shot going up.
Throughout the latter half of the first set of 40 minutes, the Northridge pressure that began the game returned, with the Lady Raiders taking control of the contest with a series of good opportunities in the Warsaw half. Each time it was tested though, the Lady Tigers defense came through, thwarting the efforts to keep things scoreless.
This was followed by a great chance for the home side. Lola Pepper won a free kick not too far outside of the box, taking it herself with 10 minutes left. Her strike was nearly perfect, bouncing off the crossbar and missing the back of the net by mere inches. Northridge followed the strike with a shot on the counterattack, but it was saved by Ellie Schenck.
With less than a minute to go in the first half, a perfect lead pass led to a breakaway for Northridge, the only thing missing from the play was the finish, as the shot floated harmlessly past the right post of the goal. For the second straight game, the Lady Tigers were involved in a scoreless tie at the break.

    Amy Escutia-Palacios of Warsaw fends off a Northridge player during Thursday night's sectional game at Elkhart...Nieter

Warsaw began the second half with some fire, as Haidyn Elliot used a nice run to put a shot on goal that resulted in a corner. This one was a much better one than the first, perfectly finding the head of Tatum Bergan, who hit the bottom of the crossbar and got the kind bounce into the net to put the Lady Tigers on top with 37 minutes to go.
Now down a goal, Northridge shifted into another gear to get an equalizer. The Lady Raiders possessed the ball for a large majority of the next stretch of clock, peppering Schenck with shots. Most were easy for the senior keeper to deal with though, and with 30 minutes now remaining, Warsaw remained on top.
The persistence paid off. With 29 minutes to go in the contest, a hand ball was called against the Lady Tigers in the box, resulting in a penalty kick for the visitors. However, Schenck came up huge for her team, making the diving save that kept her team in front.
Warsaw very nearly doubled its lead a few minutes later, as Elliott did a fantastic job creating around the net, setting up her teammate with a shot on goal after a deflected shot of her own. However, the shot was whiffed on, leaving things where they were.
Time continued to tick away as the Lady Tiger defense remained stifling to Northridge. While the Lady Raiders were able to keep long spells of possession deep in Warsaw territory, the visitors were having a hard time finding ways to turn those possessions into shots. The shots that were being taken were from far out and had little chance of going in.
Time continued to tick away as Warsaw inched closer and closer to victory. Soon, just 10 minutes remained in the contest with the Lady Tigers still in front. Northridge very nearly equalized with less than 10 to go, but Schenck bailed her team out again by diving into a crowd of players to cover up the ball.
Soon, there were just five minutes left, and the home side was holding on for dear life. The Lady Raiders were giving everything they had, desperately trying to keep their season alive. The defense that had gotten Warsaw to this point never let up though, continuously keeping the visitors at bay. Northridge put together one final push in the last minute of the game, but they were unable to find the back of the net, sending the Lady Tigers to the championship game.
Warsaw (11-6-1) will take on fellow NLC foe Concord Saturday afternoon, 2 p.m. at Elkhart High School.