Soccer nabs pair of wins: Pioneers clip Riverdale, blank Oakland

By ROB NUNLEY / Sports Editor for the Southern Standard

Bobby Simpson pursues Oakland’s Graham Overton down the field during first-half action Thursday night at WCHS. The Pioneers picked up their fifth district victory of the season. (Rob Nunley photo)

The Pioneer soccer team picked up its second District 7-AAA victory of the week Thursday, blanking visiting Oakland 6-0.

The win, which improved Warren County’s overall record to 6-3-1 and upped the team’s district mark to 5-1, was the second in three days against a Rutherford County school. On Tuesday, the Pioneers held on to top Riverdale by a narrow 4-3 margin.

“We wished we’d run the table on the Murfreesboro teams, but we weren’t able to against Blackman,” said Pioneer coach Keith Hamilton. “But after losing to Blackman the way we did, then being frustrated by how Riverdale came back against us, the boys were fired up heading into Thursday’s game, and looking to take it out on somebody.”

Tatsuro Kusunoki got things off to a quick start Thursday, scoring the Pioneers’ first two goals.

The senior, who recently signed with Cumberland (Ky.) College, found the back of the net in the game’s sixth minute, scoring off a direct kick from Ramsey Black.

Just a few minutes later, Kusunoki positioned himself in the right place at the right time again, putting a point-blank shot past Oakland keeper Kevin Crabtree.

Late in the first half, T.J. Black connected with a header off a corner kick from Kusunoki, giving the home squad a 3-0 halftime lead.

Midway through the second half, the Pioneers’ Norberto Luis charged after a loose ball in the box which eventually went off an Oakland defender and into the net for Warren County’s fourth goal.

Oscar Rodriguez scored on a penalty kick 25 minutes into the second half, and in the game’s closing minutes Cam Montgomery put the finishing touches on the win, scoring after Andy Knowles headed a corner kick into his path.

• Tuesday night at Murfreesboro, the Pioneers got out to another early lead, thanks to goals from Luis, Alex Guthrie and Rodriguez.

Riverdale scored after a questionable out-of-bounds call awarded the ball to the Warriors, but Rodriguez scored again to give WCHS a 4-1 lead.

A RHS penalty kick cut the Pioneer lead to 4-2, and Riverdale was able to get the ball past Warren County’s defenders for their third goal, forcing WCHS to hang on for the final few minutes of the contest to survive for the win.

The Pioneers return to action Tuesday, with a road matchup against former WCHS coach Charlie Hardee and his Cookeville Cavaliers. Game time at Cookeville is set for 5 p.m.