Warsaw’s Blake Burns dribbles upfield while Plymouth’s Fernando Rebollo defends during a game in Plymouth Thursday. (Photos by James Costello)

PLYMOUTH — Consider Warsaw’s game with Argos last week a lesson learned.

The Class 3A, 12th-ranked Tigers struck first in that game but got a little too relaxed, eventually allowing the equalizer by the Class A, No. 14 Dragons and ultimately coming away with a 1-1 draw despite outshooting their hosts by a lopsided 10-2 margin. It took them most of the first half to find the back of the net in their Northern Lakes Conference-opener at Plymouth Thursday, but the Tigers kept their feet on the gas, slotting away two more scores in the second half for a 3-0 victory.

“After coming to a 1-1 tie with Argos, the kids were in a rut, and they were just like ‘OK, well, we don’t know which team is going to show up,’” explained Warsaw boys soccer coach Frank Courtois. “We started the first half, we were moving the ball but not as well as we wanted to, but the second half they got the hang of it and kind of did what we needed to do.”

Payne Rager and Abdon Ortiz mix it up Thursday.

Warsaw dominated possession from the start in Plymouth but didn’t get onto the scoreboard until late in the 26th minute via a Blake Burns shot off a Luis Cleto pass, just the visitors’ second shot on goal of the night. Rockies keeper Nate Hutsell initially lost his footing trying to get a jump on the low, far post shot, and the slippage gave the Tigers a tenuous, 1-0 advantage.

A point blank shot by Jorge Rico in the 34th minute after a nice combination from Blake Burns out wide to Cleto, who centered the ball back to Rico deep in the box, sailed right into Hutsell’s hands, and the score remained 1-0 at the half. But once play resumed, the Tigers need just a little over two minutes to add an insurance goal by Jose Lara, who dribbled one in after a nice Rico pass to push the advantage to 2-0 early in the 43rd minute.

Rico finally found pay dirt himself in a 1 v 1 with Hutsell set up by a nice Isaiah VanPuffelen pass in the 54th minute, and the score remained 3-0 at the final buzzer.

“Last year we missed some of that, but this year, those guys started as freshmen, and they know when to finish,” explained Courtois. “We could’ve had two goals tonight but right there one-on-one with the goalie, those situations, you’re going to have them. He’s a good ball-handler; he can put the ball away any time.”

All told, Warsaw’s possession game yielded a total of eight shots on goal to just one by Plymouth, a long free kick from Alex Baca at midfield that Harrison Mevis easily saved to keep his team out front with 11:40 remaining in the first half. Mevis and the Warsaw defense got the blank sheet, but the whole team deserved credit keeping the pressure on the Rockies throughout the night.

“We definitely out-possessed them, and that’s what we work on. Everybody on the team is a good ball-handler, and that’s what we want the team to be,” Courtois said.

The Tigers open the NLC at 1-0. They’ll play host to Mishawaka Marian at noon Saturday before resuming conference play next Wednesday versus Concord, scheduled for 7 p.m. in Warsaw.

“Your first game in the NLC, it’s a tough conference; we always want to win the first game. That sets the pace and sends a message to the other teams that we’re here to play,” Courtois said.

Landan Voss and Oscar Mendoza get in position in Plymouth.