Lady Pioneers battle Riverdale to scoreless tie

By DALE STUBBLEFIELD / Staff Reporter for the Southern Standard

Warren County goalkeeper Erin Wolford smothers the ball for a save during the second half of Thursday night’s District 7-AAA game against Riverdale. The game ended in a 0-0 tie. (Dale Stubblefield photo)

The Lady Pioneers entered Tuesday night’s District 7-AAA game against Riverdale with a 1-1-3 record, and had the determination to pick up their second district win of the year.

But Warren County let several scoring opportunities slip through its fingers as they battled Riverdale for 80-minutes only to settle for a 0-0 tie.

In what was a very physical matchup, Warren controlled not only the ball but the tempo of the game for the entire first half. After much improvement over the last two weeks the Lady Pioneers new 5-4-1 defensive move has put a spark in Warren County’s ability to keep the ball on the offensive side of the field. Warren County matched up well with the Lady Warriors as Alex Smartt, Sarah Tanner, Alex Mullican and Shea Martin kept the ball in front of Riverdale’s goalie. The Lady Pioneers had four shots in the first half, but Riverdale’s keeper made two sliding save as the teams went in at the half scoreless.

In the second half it was Lady Pioneer goalie Erin Wolford who came up with the big saves. Riverdale attacked the net in the first 15 minutes of the second half putting pressure on the Warren County goalie. But Wolford was up to the challenge when she dove to her right and covered the ball for her first save of the game.

Her second save came from Riverdale’s right wing. A hard shot that bounced off Wolford’s hands was followed by a Lady Warrior attacker but Wolford once again dove on the ball to keep the game scoreless. The Lady Pioneers went back into an offensive attack with good ball control, but several missed passes spoiled Warren County’s attempt to score. Time ticked away as both teams tried in desperation to put a goal on the board.

Warren County had eight shots with Wolford picking up two saves and April Burkett having one save on the night. Riverdale had just three shots at goal.

“We stumbled at times tonight,” said coach Keith Hamilton. “We created opportunities to score but we didn’t finish or follow our shots. I was real pleased with our effort on defense, we did a good job of filling spaces and marking up.

“This was a very physical game and at times we lost our concentration. This team has come a long way from the beginning of the year. Nobody likes to end in a tie, but if you put things in perspective I’m glad to see the progress these girls have made.

“These girls are playing hard and playing as a team, we just didn’t capitalize when we had the chance tonight.”