Dating back to the start of last season, Warsaw's varsity boys soccer team has shut out 24 opponents. Tuesday night, the Class 2A seventh-ranked Tigers got a taste of their own medicine, as the 1A No. 1 Fort Wayne Canterbury Cavaliers beat host Warsaw 2-0. "We got two quality goals, neither of them was a cheapy," said Canterbury coach Greg Mauch, whose team improved to 8-1-4 on the season. After being shut out for the first time since a 2-0 loss to Indianapolis Cathedral in last year's state finals, the Tigers fell to 10-3-1. "They were impressive," Warsaw coach Scott Bauer said of the Cavaliers. "They were faster, stronger and more determined than we were." The visiting team in this matchup has won the last three games, as Canterbury won two years ago at Warsaw, and the Tigers won last season in Fort Wayne. "We don't want to play them at our place next year," joked Mauch. "We may have to find a neutral site." Tuesday night, it was as if the Cavaliers were right at home in Warsaw, as they shut down an offense that had outscored its previous three opponents 17-1. "We had some anxious moments early on," said Mauch. "They were coming up the middle on us, and we didn't do a good job of sorting out their runners. We did get that sorted out by the 20-minute mark." The Cavaliers scored their first goal with a little more than two minutes remaining in the first half when Vincent Ross put a shot past Warsaw senior keeper David Johnson. Austin West scored with 18 minutes remaining in the second half. Both goals came on assists from Cole Walker. The Tigers had an opportunity to score early in the first half, but didn't convert the chance into a goal. Bauer said had his team capitalized on the opportunity, things may have been different. "Canterbury was trying to figure out what we were about, and we had a chance to get one early," said Bauer. "Had we scored, maybe would have been a little different. Maybe we would have been more confident. As it was, they got the best of us." Bauer said Canterbury was the best team his squad has faced this season. Tuesday's shutout loss marked just the third time in 14 games this season the Tigers have not scored at least three goals. "I think our guys need to look at themselves and decide whether or not they want to play at that sort of speed," said Bauer. "I think we get used to playing weaker sides, and this time we played a very good team." The Tigers will have a chance to rebound from the loss Thursday when they host Goshen in a Northern Lakes Conference match at 6:45 p.m. Warsaw is 4-0 in conference play.
F.W. CANTERBURY 2, WARSAW 0 First Half C – Vincent Ross (Cole Walker assist) 37th minute Second Half C – Austin West (Walker assist) 63rd minute Records: Canterbury 8-1-4, Warsaw 10-3-2 JV - Warsaw 5, Canterbury 0
