Soccer squad stays unbeaten in 7-AAA
The Pioneer soccer team kept its unbeaten district record intact Thursday, with a 3-2 home win over the Lebanon Blue Devils.
Tony Garibaldi scored a pair of goals, including the game-winner, as the Pioneers improved to 5-3-1 overall and 4-0-1 in league play.
“It was ugly, but we’ll take it,” said Pioneer coach Keith Hamilton. “We’re still in the hunt. Our destiny is in our hands, and if we’ll just get ourselves organized and remember what we’re about, next Saturday night’s game at Blackman could be a real important game.”
Blackman is undefeated so far in district play, so the Pioneers’ tie against Siegel keeps them out of sole possession of the league lead. With a win over Riverdale Tuesday night, Warren County’s contest against Blackman on Saturday could seal the district’s regular-season title.
The Blue Devils took an early lead in Thursday’s game, as they were awarded a questionable penalty kick with 17 minutes to play in the first half.
The kick was awarded after officials ruled a Pioneer grabbed a Lebanon player’s jersey, and Jake Lee’s shot got past WCHS keeper Davey Britton to give Lebanon the 1-0 edge.
Bobby Simpson answered for the Pioneers five minutes later, however, scoring on a header off a corner kick from Cody Cowans to knot the score at 1-1, where it stood for the remainder of the first half.
In the opening minutes of the second half, Garibaldi fired a shot from the left side, getting past Blue Devil keeper Gus Grega and putting the Pioneers on top, 2-1.
Just moments later, Lebanon’s Chris White was issued a red card for his second infraction of the game, putting the Blue Devils at a one-man disadvantage. But the numbers difference only seemed to spike Lebanon’s intensity, as they continued to attack the Pioneer goal.
Garibaldi struck again in the contest’s 46th minute, taking a pass from the right corner from Oscar Rodriguez, settling the ball and firing a shot off the right-side goal post and into the Pioneer net.
With 20 minutes to play, Lebanon cut the Pioneer lead to a single goal, scoring off a corner kick of its own to make it a 3-2 ballgame. But despite renewed enthusiasm by the Blue Devils on the offensive side of the field, all of their attempts were either off the mark or turned away by the Pioneers as time ran down.
A LHS direct kick with less than eight minutes to play rang off the post, and the Pioneers were able to run out the final minutes of the contest to secure the narrow win.
Warren County finished with 14 shots on goal, while Britton recorded seven saves.
The Pioneers return to action Tuesday, with a home game against Riverdale. Game time is set for 7 p.m.