Perhaps the Warren County High School soccer team was a little too confident after it dominated Ooltewah in the home opener with a 6-1 victory. Warren County had exactly one week to prepare for its next opponent.
The Tullahoma Wildcats rode into town and it appeared two players completely dismantled the Lady Pioneer defense. Tullahoma was held to a single goal in the first half but unleashed an assault in the second half. The Lady Pioneers were blanked in their second home game and lost, 5-0.
The Lady Wildcats dominated the Lady Pioneers from the opening whistle. In the first half, the Lady Pioneers struggled to win the ball but were able to at least keep pace for most of the first half.
Lady Pioneer defenders Alana Ortiz and Lindsey Cox played a physical and grueling game against the Wildcats. Cox received a yellow card after a Wildcat player went to the ground. The hero on the field in the first half for Warren County was goalie Bailey Walker.
Tullahoma went into attack mode very early and the Wildcat offense launched an impressive 13 shots on goal in just the first 40 minutes. Tullahoma kept the Lady Pioneer defense and Walker on the move.
Tullahoma fired its first shot into the back of the net nine minutes into the game. Fortunately for the Lady Pioneers, the goal was not counted due to an offsides penalty. It did not slow down the relentless ball pressure applied by Tullahoma and three minutes later a second goal was fired into the back of the net for a 1-0 Wildcat lead.
Three Lady Pioneers were able to attempt a total of three shots on goal in the first half, two of which were stopped by the Wildcat keeper. Abby Roller was double teamed as she took the ball right down the middle and was not able to generate enough power behind her first attempt.
In the second attempt, the ball came in from Natalie Reed and Roller was not able to get a clear shot on goal but made the attempt anyway. The only clear shot came from Madison Mason when she made a move through the defense and was left all alone with only the goalie to beat.
Mason had a great look and it was a golden opportunity to knot the score. She pulled the trigger and the ball went past the goal keeper and just wide left and as the half came to a close the score remained 1-0 in favor of the Wildcats.
WCHS coach Todd Willmore said, “We missed three opportunities to score in the last 15 minutes of the first half, one from point-blank range. The focus in the second half was to improve our intensity and effort.”
In the second half it was all or nothing for the Tullahoma offense. The Lady Wildcats went to work and ran away with the game in the final 40 minutes. The Wildcats fired 14 shots on goal and scored four more goals.
Warren County’s offense was in a chokehold and the Lady Pioneers rarely got the ball past the mid-field stripe in the final 40 minutes. The only decent look at a goal came at 7:31 to play for Warren County. It was cleared out by the Wildcat defense and headed back in the other direction.
WCHS goalie Chelsea Stewart entered the game with under five minutes to play. Tullahoma did not stop its pressure and its offense immediately went after Stewart. She made three saves in the short time on the field for Warren County. A single goal did get past her and the Wildcats took a 5-0 win back to Tullahoma on Thursday evening.
Willmore added, “Defensively we were unorganized most of the night and gave them a great deal of space to work and they were able to use their team speed to capitalize on that space. I have to do a better job of motivating the girls and having them ready to play from the start of the match, which will be a priority.”
Warren County will look to avenge its 5-0 loss Monday at home versus Cookeville with game time scheduled for 7 p.m.
WCHS soccer can't tame Wildcats
