What was expected to be a battle between two heavyweights turned into another dominating win for the Warren County Middle School soccer team Monday night.
Undefeated Tullahoma came to McMinnville with swagger, but left feeling like a punching bag, after the Pioneers put a 7-2 hurting on the Wildcats.
The victory keeps WCMS undefeated and atop the conference standings in what’s the last week of the regular season. The Pioneers travel to Franklin North on Thursday before ending the regular season in Tullahoma on Friday.
Any hopes the Wildcats had of playing a competitive game were dashed shortly after the opening whistle Monday night. The Pioneers scored twice in the first three minutes and were never seriously challenged.
The Pioneers were the quicker team and used their explosiveness to outrace Tullahoma to the ball and score a number of breakaway goals.
“I am proud to coach this team,” said WCMS coach Matt Jackson. “They play together and work hard. Our speed is amazing but it is also great to see how well they understand the game.”
The victory on Eighth Grade Night shows this group of WCMS eighth-graders is poised to contend for the Pioneers’ third straight conference championship.
Pioneer Alex Pullon had his best game of the year with one goal and two assists. His hard-nosed play was crucial in setting the tone early.
Adrian Tejas added two goals, while William Fernandez, Jalen Haston, Ben Clark, and defensive star Joshua Macanas added one goal each.
Pullon made a statement early by using his blazing speed to get behind the Tullahoma defense. He fired a hard shot that was deflected by the goalie but stayed in the field of play. Tejas was there to finish things off for a 1-0 Pioneer lead.
It was almost like watching instant replay just a minute later when Pullon again blew past Wildcat defenders to fire a shot. The goalie was again able to make a stop but couldn’t control the ball and Tejas swooped in for a 2-0 lead.
Haston soon made it a 3-0 Pioneer lead. He blistered a shot that was so hard it bounced off the goalie, then hit a Tullahoma player and still had enough momentum to ricochet into the goal.
One of the few Tullahoma highlights came when the Pioneers were called for a handball just outside the box. The Wildcats were awarded a free kick and made the shot to cut the score to 3-1.
But that score was answered by more fast-break WCMS offense to end the first half as William Fernandez electrified the crowd when he chased down a long pass and drilled a shot past the goalie to make it 4-1 at the break.
Ben Clark got the Pioneers on the board to start the second half when he muscled his way past a defender on his way to the net. The goalie came charging out in an effort to deflect the shot, but Clark sent the ball whizzing past him into the corner of the net, 5-1.
After that, Pullon was again on the attack as he had too much speed for a defender who was right on his hip. Pullon gained just enough separation to launch a shot that slipped past the diving keeper into the near corner of the goal.
Macanas applied the finishing touches with a spectacular goal on a night filled with Pioneer highlights. Macanas dribbled through the teeth of the Tullahoma defense and had only the goalie to beat. When the goalie charged, Macanas stopped and blooped a shot over his head that sailed into the net for the 7-2 final score.