Pioneers take 2nd at league tourney

The Warren County Middle School soccer team concluded its season last week with a win over Coffee County and a second-place finish in its district tournament.

On Saturday, the Pioneers traveled to Franklin County for the district tournament, entering competition as the No. 2 seed and topping Tullahoma before falling short to Shelbyville in the championship.

In the opening round, WCMS won 2-0 behind goals from Hayden Wood and Jorge Pumarino.

Wood scored on a header after a Carlos Lopez shot bounced off the crossbar in the 21st minute of the game. In the second half, Pumarino put a high shot over the Wildcat keeper?s head, nailing down the win as an aggressive Pioneer defense and quality play in goal kept TMS off the board.

Shelbyville proved to be too tough for the Pioneers to tame in the finals, however, as they took the title with a 6-0 win. WCMS wasn?t able to get past the Shelbyville defense, but by the final whistle every member of the squad was able to see action in the tournament finals.

? Against Coffee County last Friday, the Pioneers and Raiders played a close first half until Lopez scored a goal around the 10-minute mark. The second half saw momentum stay on the WCMS side of the pitch, with Michael Gallagher finding the back of the net midway through the half, and a strong Pioneer defense kept the shutout intact through the rest of the game.

The Pioneers finished the season with a record of 5-2-1 in district play, with their only losses coming from Shelbyville, which wrapped a perfect season with its tournament title.

The Pioneer parents expressed their gratitude to coach Robert Garibaldi for stepping up and coaching the middle school team this season.