Warsaw's varsity boys soccer team didn't need a heart-stopping comeback this time around. Tito Cuellar made sure of that. Following Wednesday night's dramatic victory after trailing 3-0 to Culver Military Academy, the host Tigers dominated from the get-go as they beat Northern Lakes Conference rival Plymouth 7-0 Saturday and won their sixth-straight sectional championship. Cuellar, a junior, scored the game's first goal in the sixth minute of play, as he finished the contest with a career-high four goals. “Tito was where he needed to be to put balls away today,” said Warsaw coach Scott Bauer, whose team has scored 11 unanswered goals since trailing CMA in Wednesday's semifinal. “Tito is fun to watch. He attacked the box with a desire to score goals. And he did it with flair.” With the win, Class 2A No. 9 Warsaw improved to 12-2-5 on the season and advanced to the Mishawaka Regional, where it will play South Bend St. Joe (12-5) in Thursday's second semifinal game at 7 p.m. at Baker Park. Penn (11-4-4) and No. 18 Northridge (13-3-3) open regional play at 5 p.m. Thursday. The winners meet in the regional final Saturday at 7 p.m., with a berth in the Oct. 26 Warsaw Semistate on the line. “The regional will be tough,” said Bauer, whose team is looking for its fourth-straight regional championship. “We believe we can play with anybody in the regional. We like our chances, and we hope to get back home for the semistate.” En route to winning the program's 12th overall sectional championship, Cuellar scored goals in the sixth and 12 minutes, and then senior Miguel Rivera converted a penalty kick in the 33rd minute, as the Tigers led 3-0 at halftime. Cuellar completed his hat trick in the 42nd minute, and then added a fourth goal six minutes later. Sophomore Brandon Reinholt and freshman Pedro Monsivais rouned out Warsaw's scoring with goals in the 56th and 80th minutes, respectively. “Last time we played them, Tito scored an early goal that broke our spirit,” said Plymouth coach Josh Martin, whose team fell 3-0 to Warsaw in the regular season. “When you have to play from behind against a team like this, you're in trouble.” Warsaw was the agressor from the opening whistle Saturday and dominated the Rockies in number of shots. “I told the guys at halftime that I heard of this team that came back from being down three goals,” Bauer said of the message to his team. “That of course was fresh in their memory.”
WARSAW 7, PLYMOUTH 0 W – Tito Cuellar 6th min W – Cuellar 12th min W – Miguel Rivera PK 33rd min W – Cuellar 42nd min W – Cuellar 48th min W – Brandon Reinholt 56th min W – Pedro Monsivais 80th min Records: Warsaw 12-2-5
