Injuries never allowed the Pioneers to fully see what they could be.
Warren County saw its soccer season cut short Tuesday night, falling in the opening round of the District 6AAA tournament to the Cookeville Cavaliers 3-1.
“This was a challenging season with so many injuries,” said coach Matt Jackson. “I was proud of the team for playing all out and doing anything they were asked to do. I look forward to the growth that comes from adversity.”
Tuesday’s game was the healthiest the Pioneers have been in months. Coach Jackson strategically rested his team for the last two weeks, knowing the district tournament could be where his team finally broke through. Warren County had faith and played well, but Cookeville got the breaks.
“We went into the game knowing and believing that if we played our best game, we could beat them,” said Jackson. “It was great to finally have everyone back.”
Cookeville got on board first, drawing a penalty in the box and converting the ensuing penalty kick at the 18-minute mark.
The Cavaliers added a second goal later in the first half, one of the few times Josiah Jackson wasn’t able to come up with a big save.
“It was the only real goal of the night,” said coach Jackson. “They would bring their defenders up to create an overload on one side and we weren’t able to defend in time and they made a great shot.”
The Pioneers started building momentum at the end of the first half. Their attacking paid off late when Brayden Chisam drew a foul in the Cookeville box. John Jackson calmly hammered home the penalty kick, drawing his team to within one at halftime.
Warren County tried to make a push in the second half, but tired legs slowed the effort. Having many players recently back from injuries showed on the conditioning front, where the Pioneers weren’t able to hold the intensity.
Cookeville put the game away when Warren County inadvertently headed a shot into its own goal off a free kick from 25 yards out.
“In the first half, I had moved some players around to have more attacking options,” said Jackson. “Unfortunately, the guys who were injured were also not as fit, so they got tired and I had to start moving players around. We lost the attacking momentum.
“We shifted back and moved another player into the attack, but couldn’t break through. I feel we did all we could do.”
All-district honors were handed out following the conclusion of the district tournament. More information on who earned accolades from the Pioneers will be in future editions.
