Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
ARGOS - Few teams have been able to hang with Warsaw's midfield, Tiger boys soccer coach Scott Bauer said Tuesday evening.
Concord was able to, and the final result was the Minutemen's 2-1 win over the Tigers in the regional championship game at Argos High School's Eugene Snyder Field.
The Minutemen, who advanced to the semistate level of the state tournament for the first time since 1997, scored the game's first goal 10:13 into the contest when junior Andrew Eakle assisted classmate Conner Burt.
Warsaw knotted the game at 1-all with 29:13 remaining in the second half when senior Austin Evans put a penalty kick low and and to the right side of the box past Concord keeper Jeremy Howard.
Burt and Eakle later hooked up for what turned out to be the game winner, when with 16:09 remaining in the game Burt assisted Eakle.
"Great teams find a way to win," said Concord coach Shawn McCuen, whose Minutemen improved to 16-2-2 on the season and advanced to Saturday's Valparaiso Semistate.
Concord will play the host Vikings (17-3-1) at 10 a.m., while Lake Central (18-2-1) will battle Northridge at noon. The winners will play for the semistate championship at 7 p.m.
Warsaw appeared to tie the score at 2-all with 10:36 remaining when senior Jake Rogers put the ball past Howard, but officials called a handball, quickly quieting the Tigers' cheering section, which erupted when it appeared the score was tied.
"Don't hang your head," Bauer said when asked what he said to his team after the game. "They did a wonderful job in the second half. It wasn't badly officiated, but there was a lot of physical play that was let go. The sectional was called a little more tight, and we didn't adjust to the level of play allowed."
And during a time of the year when players step up and make clutch plays, Burt and Eakle got it done for Concord.
"They've played together all their lives," said McCuen. "They read off one another. They feed off one another. We've got a guy in Conner that's the leading assist guy, and then Andrew, as tall and physical as he is, and solid around the net, great things are going to happen."
Said Bauer, "Eakle does a good job of getting behind the defense. He's got good speed. He obviously has a huge impact on the game. Hats off to him and their midfield."
The Tigers, who won their fourth straight sectional championship this season, finished their season with a record of 12-5-3.
Concord, which hosted the Tigers in regular season play and battled to a scoreless tie, had nine shots on goal in the game, while Warsaw had four.
The Tigers made six saves, while Concord had three.
Warsaw was called for 13 fouls and had one corner kick, while the Minutemen were whistled for 17 fouls and earned two corner kicks.
CONCORD 2, WARSAW 1
Warsaw goal - Austin Evans (penalty kick) 50:37
Concord goals - Conner Burt (Andrew Eakle) 10:13; Eakle (Burt) 63:53
Shots - Warsaw 4, Concord 9
Saves - Warsaw (Justin Evans) 6, Concord (Jeremy Howard) 3
Corner kicks - Warsaw 1, Concord 2
Fouls - Warsaw 13, Concord 17
Records: Warsaw 12-5-3, Concord 16-2-2
