Warsaw’s Dayle Harvey takes command during the 10-0 Tigers win at Wawasee. (Photos by Mike Deak)

SYRACUSE – It took just a couple moments for the Warsaw girls and boys soccer teams to create separation from Wawasee in the varsity doubleheader Saturday afternoon.

The Lady Tigers scored two goals within 20 seconds of each other in an eventual blowout while the Warsaw boys turned a well-timed header on the scorching pitch into a snowball rolling downhill.

Warsaw Girls 10, Wawasee 0

Barely two minutes into the match, Warsaw was already bearing down on Wawasee’s goal. A feed from Anna Sullivan to Abby Steffensmeier was the start of a long day for keeper Graceanne Kerlin. Steffensmeier’s easy tuck to net made it 1-0, but equally impressive for the Lady Tigers was Steffensmeier taking a pass from Delaney Taylor not more than 20 seconds later and punching in her second. The rapid fire became a theme.

“As a coach I was happy to see us continue to execute the game plan and take advantage of the opportunities we had in front of us,” said Warsaw head coach Jon Hoover. “We had a lot of players get into the game, and I didn’t really see that much of a dropoff in our play, even with the heat.”

Brenna Buhrt put two on the board before the half, connecting in the ninth and 18th minutes, Anna Grill assisting the second.

Steffensmeier scored her third and fourth goals without much effort, with Taylor and Buhrt adding goals all before the 50-minute mark had passed. Gracie Scholl and Carley O’Hara also found the back of the net in the goal onslaught.

Warsaw also welcomed back Sydney Weideman back to the pitch. The senior forward got into the game late in the first half after recovering from offseason knee surgery, offering a few touches on the ball in limited minutes.

Warsaw put 19 shots on frame, Kerlin making five saves and backup keeper Libby Goralczyk unable to make a stop. Warsaw’s defense stonewalled Wawasee, not allowing a shot on target, making an easy day for keeper Chloe Snow on the range.

“Today we just didn’t show any fight, and it was disappointing,” said Wawasee head coach Tracy Swain, whose club is 3-11 overall and 0-5 in the NLC. “Our best shot to get an NLC win is now. We know we can match up Memorial and with NorthWood and are getting some of our depth back from injuries. Nobody expects us to do anything, but we do.”

Warsaw (9-4-2) now sits at 5-1 in the Northern Lakes Conference with its destiny in its hands. A win over Northridge (5-0-1) would give Warsaw the title, a tie or loss gives the Raiders the crown once again.

“It’s just about us executing our game plan,” Hoover said of the Thursday night matchup with Ridge. “It’s going to be fun. We like the tough games and know the scenario is set up for us. I have nothing but respect for Northridge, they play the game the right way. We match up well with them and it’s why we are out here. The big games are what we play for.”

Warsaw Boys 4, Wawasee 1

The ebbs and flows of the boys matchup had a flying Tiger sink the Warriors.

A Chris Pena goal for the Warriors in the 47th minute, an absolute rocket from outside the Warsaw penalty area, cut the Tiger lead in half at 2-1. It was Wawasee’s first shot on target, and started a swirl of momentum for the home side. Three Warsaw yellow cards and two Wawasee shots later – including one that forced Harrison Mevis to make a diving save – put the match as close as it had been since early in the first half.

But a buildup in the 55th minute had Eric Ocock serve a cross to Jorge Rico, who sent a diving header into the back of the net. With the insurance on the board, Warsaw settled in and closed the door on another Northern Lakes Conference victory.

“It just became a need for us to stay disciplined,” stated Warsaw head coach Frank Courtois. “Once Wawasee got that first goal, it forced us to have to cover Pena more. But when we got that header goal back, we settled down quite a bit.”

Warsaw wouldn’t allow another Wawasee shot, and had Alex Brown bury another header from a Cole Voss corner in the waning moments. Blake Burns and Ethan Grill scored first-half goals for the Tigers, which missed a penalty kick just moments in the match. Dillon Drake made the diving save on the PK.

Warsaw (9-5-2, 3-3 NLC) outshot Wawasee 13-3, with Mevis making just one save and the combination of three Wawasee keepers stopping six shots.

Wawasee (5-5-3, 0-5 NLC) is still trying to figure out the conference, unbeaten outside it but winless within.

“Today it again took us so long to show up, and I don’t understand how you can’t get up for a game like this,” said Wawasee head coach Jordan Sharp, himself an alum of the Warsaw soccer program. “Man, our conference is very tough, really brutal. It’s just about stepping up and playing big in big games. It’s entirely frustrating this late in the season to see us struggling this bad in the conference, but you just have to keep moving forward and going after the next one.”

Warsaw won the lone JV match, the boys taking a 7-0 result. Adam Brown netted the hat trick, Brennan Cox added a pair and Jose Lara and Isaiah Van Pufflen each hit the back of the net once. Landon Voss had two assists, with
Lara, Van Pufflen and Tony Aguillon each adding an assist.