Lady Pioneers Rally Past Stone Memorial
Warren County Middle School Lady Pioneers found themselves in a difficult position, trailing 2-0 early in the game. But, instead of letting the early deficit control the game, the Lady Pioneers responded with an offensive explosion. The Lady Pioneers scored eight unanswered goals to earn an 8-2 victory over Stone Memorial.
Stone Memorial came out strong in the opening minutes, taking advantage of a pair of scoring opportunities to jump ahead early. Warren County continued to create chances on the offensive end, firing multiple shots on goal before breaking through.
Once the first goal hit the back of the net, the momentum shifted, giving the Lady Pioneers a spark offensively. Warren County continued to pressure the Stone Memorial defense and eventually pulled ahead by halftime, 4-2.
“The start of the match was not our best effort, and to Stone Memorial’s credit, they played a couple of nice plays to get two scores early,” coach Sally Willmore said. “After a number of shots on goal, we finally got one in the back of the net, which seemed to give us a little momentum.”
After halftime, Warren County came out with a completely different level of energy. The Lady Pioneers kept the ball on the offensive side of the field, applying pressure to the Stone Memorial defense. Warren County scored almost immediately after the whistle, cutting any chances Stone Memorial had of making a comeback.
“That is the effort and intensity we need to have to begin every game,” Willmore said.
Warren County continued their intensity throughout the second half, adding more scores to turn the close halftime advantage into an impressive 8-2 victory. The Lady Pioneers had multiple players find the back of the net.
LB Guthrie led the way with three goals, while Abigail Laxson, Shanti Hernandez, Amelia Partin, Emma Kate Lippe, and AnnaLee Simpson each added a goal.
“Defensively, we were able to settle in and play much better after the first two goals were given up,” said Willmore.
The Lady Pioneers also earned a 3-0 victory in the JV matchup. Jensi Griffith provided all three goals for Warren County.
The comeback victory showed Warren County’s ability to respond to adversity and finish strong. After trailing by 2 goals early, the Lady Pioneers answered with eight goals to come away with a dominant 8-2 win.
