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Whatever happens to Warsaw's girls soccer team in the postseason, the ending will be different for the first time in four years.
Warsaw has moved from the Columbia City Sectional to the Oregon-Davis Sectional.
"At Columbia City, we always made the championship game, always played Homestead, always gave them a good game but never won," Warsaw coach Brent Wildman said.
Homestead, No. 12 this season, may no longer be around, but Plymouth and Argos are. While neither is ranked, both boast impressive records. Plymouth is 10-2-1, and Argos is 11-4-1. Along with 10-2-4 Warsaw, the three are considered equal favorites to win the sectional.
Wildman and his Warsaw team won't have to worry about Plymouth or Argos until the championship game. Warsaw drew the bye and plays 8-5-1 Culver Community at 6 p.m. Wednesday. If Warsaw wins that game, the Tigers advance to Saturday's championship.
"We have a nice path into the final game," Wildman said. Argos and Plymouth have rougher roads to the finals. Plymouth plays Culver Girls Academy in the first round, while Argos faces 0-15 Oregon-Davis. The winners of these two games face off Wednesday for the right to play in the championship.
Wildman's team tallied 10 wins despite fielding a team with one starting senior, Kris Kurosky. She became Warsaw's starting stopper when Holly McGriff tweaked her ACL. McGriff will not play in the sectional. Warsaw has one senior, five juniors, three sophomores and two fresmen in the starting lineup.
"We've been a very stable team on defense even though we moved a lot of defensive personnel through the ranks," Wildman said. "Our goalkeeper, Liz Wiggins, has been very consistent. She doesn't make a lot of defensive errors."
Wildman wonders how his team will handle a close game.
"We have a lot of speed, and our athleticism is very good, but when a team is highly competitve with us, we have difficulty executing," he said.
That said, the one area of the game Warsaw is focusing on for the sectional is the final pass before a goal attempt.
Warsaw goes into the sectional familiar with the field as the Tigers played every team except winless Oregon-Davis.
They beat Argos and both Culver schools and finished in a tie with Plymouth. When they beat Argos, the Dragons were missing key players.
Warsaw outscored teams this season 46-18. The Warsaw defense posted five shutouts.
Junior Kari Wildman led Warsaw with 11 goals, while junior Chelsea Boyd added eight. Sophomore Claire Beckett led with five assists.
Should Warsaw win the sectional, it would be the first title for the program.
Wildman is in his sixth year as Warsaw coach. Girls soccer sectional play began four years ago, and all four years Warsaw finished runner-up. The Tigers have finished second twice in the Northern Lakes Conference but never first.
"This sectional pits us against strong programs, but programs we faced throughout the season and had a good history against," Brent Wildman said. "It won't be easy by any means.
"Skill-wise, the teams match up well. It will come down to the depth of the desire. Hopefully our team will be peaking this week."
Warsaw Stat Leaders
Kari Wildman 11 goals, 2 assists; Chelsea Boyd 8 goals, 4 assists; Claire Beckett 5 goals, 5 assists; Lauren Witzky 6 goals, 4 assists; Meghann Faas 4 goals, 1 assist; Aubrey Evans 3 goals
2000 GIRLS SECTIONALS
Oregon-Davis Sectional
Today
4:30 p.m. - Plymouth (10-2-2) vs. Culver Girls Academy (N/A)
Tuesday
4:30 p.m. -ÊArgos (11-4-1) vs. Oregon-Davis (0-15)
Wednesday (both games at Argos High School)
6 p.m. - Warsaw (10-2-4) vs. Culver (8-5-1)
8 p.m. -ÊPlymouth/CGA winner vs. Argos/Oregon-Davis winner
Saturday (at Argos High School)
4:30 p.m. - championship
Goshen Sectional
Today
5:30 p.m. - Westview (4-6-3) vs. NorthWood (2-9-3)
7 p.m. -ÊWest Noble (0-6) vs. Wawasee (1-12-3)
Wednesday
5:30 p.m. -ÊBethany Christian (9-5) vs. Goshen (7-5-3)
7 p.m. - Westview/NorthWood winner vs. West Noble/Wawasee winner
Saturday
7 p.m. -ÊChampionship
2000 BOYS SECTIONALS
Argos Sectional
Today
6 p.m. - Argos (9-6-1) vs. Plymouth (11-2-2)
8 p.m. - Warsaw (6-6-4) vs. Winamac (9-8-3)
Tuesday
6 p.m. - Culver Community (N/A) vs. Culver Military Academy (N/A)
8 p.m. -ÊLaVille (3-10-1) vs. Oregon-Davis (2-8-4)
Thursday
6 p.m. -ÊArgos/Plymouth winner vs. Warsaw/Winamac winner
8 p.m. -ÊCulver/CMA winner vs. LaVille/Oregon-Davis winner
Saturday
7:30 p.m. - championship
Westview Sectional
Today
5 p.m. - NorthWood (7-8) vs. Central Noble (3-9)
7 p.m. - Bethany Christian (12-1-2) vs. Lakeland (3-9-2)
Tuesday
5 p.m. - West Noble (5-8-2) vs. Howe Military (3-6-4)
7 p.m. - Westview (12-4-1) vs. Wawasee (7-6-3)
Thursday
5 p.m. - NorthWood/Central Noble winner vs. Bethany Christian/Lakeland winner
7 p.m. - West Noble/Howe Military winner vs. Westview/Wawasee winner
Saturday
6 p.m. - championship
