The game was played under dark skies and there were flashes of lightning off in the distance. Mother Nature, howevever, wasn’t the storm Warsaw’s boys soccer team couldn’t weather Thursday night. Hosting the Northridge Raiders in the regular-season finale, the Tigers were on the short end of a 5-0 outcome. With Warsaw trailing 2-0 at halftime, the floodgates opened in the second half, as the Raiders scored three goals in a span of eight minutes. “As usual, it was our lazy play,” said Warsaw assistant coach Frank Courtois, who is leading the team as head coach Scott Bauer is on what athletic director Dave Anson called a “personal leave.” “We give up goals in the first half, and we just think we can keep coming back,” added Courtois. “You can’t play like that.” With the loss, the Tigers fell to 6-5-5 overall and 2-4-1 in the Northern Lakes Conference standings. Northridge improved to 8-7-2 overall. Senior Hunter Hardin scored the Raiders’ first goal on an assist from classmate Ryan Haarer in the 21st minute of play. In the 32nd minute, senior Bailey Kaplon put Northridge up 2-0 with an assist from sophomore Wade Wilson. Already in control of the contest, the Raiders put the match away with a pair of goals in the 42nd minute, the first by senior Elliott Laughlin on an assist from classmate Brogan Cover and the other by junior Brandon Nixon, who was set up by senior Trent Brickner. In the 50th minute of play, Nixon scored his second goal, this time on an assist from Hardin. “They had some breaks,” Courtois said of the Raiders. “We had some very good opportunities to put balls in the net, and just didn’t.” While Northridge’s offense appeared to be at full strength, the Tigers were playing without senior standout Tito Cuellar, who was sidelined with an injury but is expected to play in next week’s sectional. The Tigers open state tournament play Monday at 6 p.m. at Plymouth against Culver Military Academy. Warsaw has won sectional and regional championships in each of the past six seasons, though Thursday’s loss isn’t the way the team wants to head into postseaso play. “It’s not the way we want to go into the sectional, but we have to,” said Courtois. “We’re going to show up Monday and do our best.”
NORTHRIDGE 5, WARSAW 0 NR – Hunter Hardin (Ryan Haarer assist) 21st min NR – Bailey Kaplon (Wade Wilson) 32nd min NR – Elliott Laughlin (Brogan Cover) 42nd min NR – Brandon Nixon (Trent Brickner) 42nd min NR – Nixon (Hardin) 50th min Records: Warsaw 6-5-5 (2-4-1 NLC), Northridge 8-7-2 JV – Warsaw 4, Northridge 1 Warsaw goals – Edward Esqueda 2, Eduardo Calderon, Thomas Rivera JV record: Warsaw 6-5-2 (4-3-2 NLC)
