After knocking on the door the past two seasons, Warsaw's varsity boys soccer team broke through it Saturday night.
Aided by goals from sophomore Diego Lopez and senior Joey Hickerson, as well as a defense that hasn't allowed a goal in the past 12 games, the seventh-ranked Tigers beat No. 14 Carroll 2-0 in the championship game of the Warsaw Semistate.With the win, Warsaw improved to 20-2-1 on the season and advanced to the state finals for the first time in school history. The Tigers lost to Homestead 1-0 in the semistate championship in each of the past two seasons.
"I'm happy for the boys," said Warsaw coach Scott Bauer, whose team beat Pendleton Heights 4-0 earlier in the day to advance to the semistate title tilt against the Chargers (18-4-1). "They have been working hard this year, and we've had some setbacks we had to get over, but we seem to have found our form."
The Tigers have certainly found their form, and because of that will play sixth-ranked Indianapolis Cathedral (19-3-1) in a semifinal game at noon Saturday at Kuntz Memorial Stadium in Indianapolis.
Eighth-ranked Evansville Memorial (16-4-3) will play No. 10 Lake Central (19-3) in the other semifinal game at noon, with the winners playing for the state championship at 8 p.m.
"This is the year to do it," said Warsaw senior Scott Smyth. "We've worked 13 years of our lives for this one moment. This is great. We're really coming together as a team. This is surreal."
Lopez scored an assisted goal in the 29th minute, and then Hickerson scored in the 38th minute on an assist from junior Xavier Arellanes.
With a defense that hasn't given up a goal in its last 12 games and only surrendered eight goals all season, the Tigers made their 2-0 halftime lead stand, and when the final seconds ticked off the clock there was a celebration at midfield.
Players jumped into each other's arms. Fans cheered wildly and chanted "here we come Indy, here we come."
"It's a team game," said Smyth. "Everyone has come together, and we have veteran players in the back. We've had a lot of time playing together. It is a lot of shutouts, and we can't lose if they don't score on us."
In 23 games this season, the Tigers have posted 18 shutouts.
In six state tournament games thus far, Warsaw has outscored its oppenents 24-0.
"Credit them," Carroll coach Rollie Clements said of the Tigers, who avenged a 3-2 regular-season loss to the Chargers. "I have no complaints about my guys. Warsaw is a quality team, and they showed it."
The Tigers haven't given up a goal since Sept. 14 when they beat Northern Lakes Conference foe NorthWood 3-1.
In the semifinal game against Pendleton Heights (9-12), the Tigers scored two goals in each half.
Junior Jose Rodriguez got things going with a penalty kick in the 24th minute, and then junior Corey Lopez scored in the 25th minute on an assist from his brother, Diego Lopez.
Junior Jared Stout assisted sophomore Nathan Kolbe on a goal in the 50th minutue, while sophomore Grant Allbritten rounded out the scoring with a goal in the 71st minute on an assist from senior Joey Hickerson.
Carroll advanced to the semistate title game by beating No. 17 Northridge 2-0.
"We had a great year," Clements said of his team, which won its previous six games. "They don't feel very good about it right now, but when we get a chance to look back on it, it was a great year."
WARSAW SEMISTATE
(championship match)
WARSAW 2, CARROLL 0
W - Diego Lopez (unassisted) 29th minute
W - Joey Hickerson (Xavier Arellanes) 38th minute
Saves - David Johnson (Warsaw) 3, Cody Schweitzer (Carroll) 3; Records: Warsaw 20-2-1, Carroll 18-4-1
WARSAW 4, PENDLETON HEIGHTS 0
(semifinal)
W - Jose Rodriguez (penalty kick) 24th minute
W - Corey Lopez (Diego Lopez) 25th minute
W - Nathan Kolbe (Jared Stout) 50th minute
W - Grant Allbritten (Joey Hickerson) 71st minute
Saves - David Johnson (Warsaw) 1, Tyler Eby (Pendleton Heights) 6; Records: Warsaw 19-2-1, Pendleton Heights 9-12
