Dennis Hernandez and Warsaw played to a 1-1 draw with Wawasee Saturday afternoon. InkFreeNews file photo by Mike Deak

Wawasee Boys 1, Warsaw 1

In the back end of a girls-boys doubleheader between rival Kosciusko County Schools, the Warriors and Tigers battled for 80 minutes to a 1-1 draw.

Warsaw scored their goal off a corner kick near the end of the first half to take a narrow lead into the break. Wawasee needed 39 of the 40 minutes of the second half before finding the the game tying goal, which came off the foot of Alejandro Alonso with an assist from Mason Possell.

“It was a great fight to come back and get the equalizer,” said Wawasee coach Jordan Sharp. I’m proud of their fight. It was a big week for us and a great performance.”

Wawasee will enter the final week of play sporting a solid 9-4-1 record, 2-2-1 in the NLC. The Warriors make two conference road trips to close out the regular season, on Tuesday at Northridge and Thursday at Plymouth.

The Tigers’ record moves to 4-6-4, 1-3-2 in conference play.  Warsaw finishes its regular season with a Thursday home match with the Raiders of Northridge.

Tippecanoe Valley Boys 1, Winamac 0

Christian Ramirez scored the lone goal of the game in the first half as Valley rode a stingy defense and the fine play of keeper Tyler Jones to advance to the Winamac Invitational Championship game, beating the host Warriors 1-0.

The Vikings, playing without the services of defensive specialist Arturo Dominguez and midfielder Jon Ruiz, relied on their youth to propel them into their first ever soccer championship game in school history, Both teams went back and forth for much of the contest without either team really gaining a solid foothold.

Valley had chances to extend their 1-0 lead in the second half, but couldn’t convert the opportunities into another goal. However, the one goal proved to be enough as the play of David Reyes, Gio Arriagia, Jesus Baca and Gerardo Fernandez held the backline together.

The win moved Valley’s record to 3-6-2 and propelled them to play the winner of the Washington Township- North White victor in the championship game.

North White Boys 7, Tippecanoe Valley 0

Following Valley’s exciting 1-0 win over Winamac to advance to the championship round, the Vikings had four hours to get ready for the winner of the Washington Township-North White first round match. They ended up facing North White Vikings, a power soccer school located in Monon which sports an experienced, well-seasoned squad.

Once the game got underway, Valley played tough but quickly realized they were in a difficult match. North White scored early and often on the weary Vikings and walked away with the championship trophy with a 7-0 victory..

“It was a great learning experience today for Valley,” said Viking head coach Andy Luce. “We can take today and get ready for the last week of the season.”

Tippecanoe Valley travels to Argos Tuesday and hosts arch rival Rochester at 5:30 p.m. Thursday in a rematch from earlier this season. Just two short weeks ago, Valley let a 2-0 lead in the second half slide through their fingers as the Zebras rallied for 4-2 victory.

Rochester Boys 1, Lakeland Christian Academy 0

In a match played on the Cougars home pitch, Rochester managed the only goal of the day to take home a 1-0 victory.

Adian Smith scored the Zebra goal off a corner kick midway through the second half, assisted by Wade Shafer in the 66th minute

 For the match, each team managed six shots on goal. The loss moved LCA’s record to 5-5-4, while Rochester enters the last week of the regular season at 8-4

“We played a really good game today, said LCA skipper Dan Miller..”Rochester is a good team and we had one let down on a corner kick that they took advantage of for the game winning goal. Hunter Rice did well in controlling the midfield and our backline played solidly today led by Landen Bremer.”

The Cougars will host Culver Academy at 5 p.m. on Tuesday.

Bethel Men 1, Grace 0

An 83rd-minute goal was all that separated Grace’s men’s soccer team and Bethel on Saturday.

The Pilots (3-0-1, 3-0-1 Crossroads League) scored in the final minutes, topping the Lancers 1-0 at 1st Source Bank Field.

The first half was largely a possession battle. The teams passed the ball effectively and were content to get a feel for the game.

Bethel had more opportunities with six shots before halftime compared to two for Grace.

The Lancers’ two shots were both threatening, however. Ulisses Miranda tried the first shot, firing a long shot that resulted in a save.

Marcelo Talamas also had a terrific look after a cross from Jonny Mora, but his attempt missed the mark.

Grace began the second half much more aggressively; the Lancers produced a number of goal-scoring chances.

The Lancers kept the Pilots on their collective back heel. Grace moved the ball with intent and frequently forayed into Bethel’s end.

Miranda had two good shots in the first 10 minutes of the second half, including one strike which hit the goalpost.

Unfortunately for Grace, bookings became an issue. The Lancers picked up three yellow cards in a five-minute span, which subdued Grace’s attack.

With 10 minutes remaining in the match, the Lancers were reduced to 10 men after picking up a red card.

It took the Pilots just three minutes to score the winner with an 11v10 advantage. Jose Barquin scored from a distance as Bethel countered to perfection in the 83rd minute.

Grace still pressed for an equalizer late. With three minutes to play, the Lancers earned an indirect free kick at the top of the penalty box. But Talamas’s drive was blocked, and Grace was unable to get close again.

The Lancers are on the road Wednesday, playing at No. 12 Spring Arbor.