The Lady Pioneers are going to play for a district championship. And waiting for Warren County in the title tilt will be a familiar nemesis.
WCMS earned its spot in the District 7-AA championship game Tuesday night, dispatching Algood 3-1 at home behind another big performance from LB Guthrie. The Lady Pioneer standout scored twice and assisted on the other goal as Warren County improved to 10-3 and extended its season.
The victory did more than send Warren County into Friday's district championship game. By reaching the finals, the Lady Pioneers have also already secured a spot in next week's region tournament.
Warren County made its move early Tuesday.
Guthrie helped create the opening goal with a perfect pass to Amelia Partin, who finished the opportunity to put the Lady Pioneers in front. Guthrie added one of her own later in the first half, giving WCMS a 2-0 advantage and some breathing room going into the break.
As it turned out, Warren County would need it.
Algood came out of halftime in attack mode, immediately putting pressure on the Lady Pioneer defense. Nine minutes into the second half, the visitors finally broke through. A shot toward goal caromed off the Warren County keeper and into the net, suddenly cutting the advantage to 2-1.
Ultimately, Warren County settled down in the final 20 minutes.
The Lady Pioneers dug in defensively to slow Algood's surge while still picking their spots to push forward on offense. The one-goal advantage held as the clock continued to wind down, setting up one final moment for Guthrie.
In the final minute, Guthrie put the match away in style. The eighth grader launched a long ball that sailed into the back corner of the net for a gorgeous goal, giving Warren County some long-awaited breathing room and setting off the celebration in what could prove to be one of the Lady Pioneers' final home matches of their postseason run.
"It was a stressful win," said coach Sally Willmore, particularly noting Algood's push to open the second half. "The girls played lights out the whole game. (I'm) so proud of their effort."
Guthrie's two goals pushed her season total to 24, while her assist on Partin's opener meant she had a hand in all three Warren County goals Tuesday.
Now the Lady Pioneers get the rematch they've wanted.
Warren County will travel to DeKalb County Friday to face Prescott South for the District 7-AA championship. Prescott advanced with a 3-0 victory in its semifinal and is responsible for one of Warren County's three losses during an otherwise dominant season.
When the teams met during the regular season, Prescott escaped with a 1-0 victory despite Willmore believing the Lady Pioneers had played one of their best matches of the year. WCMS created plenty of opportunities that night but couldn't find the back of the net.
Even then, Willmore hoped her team would get another shot.
"I told the girls hopefully we will see them again when it really matters in the championship and be able to stick out a win," Willmore said following the regular-season meeting.
That opportunity has arrived and Willmore knows exactly what it will take to beat Prescott and bring home the district title.
"It’s going to take another game like tonight," said Willmore.
Warren County and Prescott South clash at 6 p.m. Friday in DeKalb County.
