The Lady Pioneers spent nearly an entire night chasing one goal. In the end, they came agonizingly close time after time, but the equalizer never came.
Warren County's championship season ended Monday night with a 1-0 loss to Gladeville in the region tournament, bringing an end to a memorable run that saw WCMS win 11 games and capture the District 7-AA championship.
Gladeville scored the only goal it would need in the opening five minutes. A low liner skipped toward the Warren County goal and glanced off the Lady Pioneer keeper's hands before finding its way into the net. From there, WCMS spent the rest of the night trying to get it back.
Warren County struggled to generate the same energy it needed early, but something changed at halftime. The Lady Pioneers came out of the break in all-out attack mode and spent much of the second half putting relentless pressure on Gladeville.
Shot after shot came toward the Gladeville goal, with LB Guthrie led the charge.
With approximately 15 minutes remaining, Guthrie came within inches of tying the match when her shot scraped the top of the crossbar. Six minutes later, she came even closer.
Guthrie unleashed another shot that drilled the top crossbar and bounced directly back into a dangerous area in front of the Gladeville goal. For a moment, the equalizer seemed there for the taking, but Warren County couldn't push the rebound across the line.
Still, the Lady Pioneers kept coming.
Warren County got four corner kicks in the final 10 minutes as it continued throwing everything forward. Two of those opportunities came with less than two minutes remaining, giving WCMS two final chances to keep its season alive.
Neither produced the goal the Lady Pioneers desperately needed. The final whistle eventually sounded with Gladeville still clinging to its 1-0 advantage, ending Warren County's season just days after the Lady Pioneers had celebrated a district championship.
Coach Sally Willmore thought the difference between the two halves was evident.
"Their second half was much better effort and intensity than the first," said Willmore. "I believe we won that second half just couldn’t make it into the net."
It was a painful ending, but only a small part of what Willmore and the Lady Pioneers accomplished this fall.
Warren County finished 11-4 overall, with all four losses decided by a single goal. The Lady Pioneers scored over 50 goals, posted six shutout victories and once again made a deep postseason run.
"We told the girls we were so proud of them and how they did all season long," said Willmore. "This was a great group of girls and so fun to be around."
The team saw Guthrie - the team’s leading goal scorer - earn all-district honors alongside teams Finn MacDonald and June Cossitt. The trio could all be in line to make an impact on WCHS before long.
"We are excited to see the eighth graders go on to play high school and then the younger girls come back and be apart of this team again," said Willmore. "(I’m) Looking forward to another season like this next year!"
