Warden soccer hits the ground running

WARDEN — The Warden Cougars, who began their inaugural season of boys' soccer Tuesday with a 2-0 loss to Connell, face many obstacles in their first year of organized soccer at the high-school level. Starting the year against a team that made the state tournament last year and is favored by many to win the league championship this season is no small task, but Warden was up to the challenge.

In the first half, Warden looked every bit the equal of Connell, matching the Eagles in time of possession and scoring opportunities. In fact, while scoring chances were about equal between the two teams, it appeared that Warden's opportunities were much more threatening than those put up by Connell.

After 40 minutes of excellent soccer by both teams, the Cougars and Eagles sat at a scoreless tie. One thing was clear from the early going; Warden certainly had the talent to compete with even a very good team such as Connell.

"There are quite a few players (on the Cougars' roster) that have played adult league soccer," said Warden coach Donnie Edson. "That's where they've got their skills from."

"Our starting 11 … at least eight, if not all 11 have played some adult league," Edson added. "Our part as coaches is to get them to come together and play as a team."

While Warden did play well together, working their short passes around the field quite effectively, the Eagles' experience allowed them to make adjustments and find holes in the Warden defense in the second half.

"I thought in the second half they started reading things and getting people into place," said Edson of the Connell offensive attack. "In the second half they just started creating a lot of trouble for us."

Connell's first goal came on an outstanding individual play in which the Eagles' forward simply beat the Warden defender. Defensive help was late getting over, allowing Connell to take a 1-0 lead.

The Eagles scored again on a crossing shot that the Warden goalkeeper knocked down, but was unable to control. The rebound from the shot fell right at the feet of a Connell player directly in front of the goal, allowing the Eagles' player to drive home Connell's second goal of the day.

Despite the loss against Connell, Edson saw good things from his new team.

"For the first time out playing such a tough team, I was very happy with all aspects of what they did," said the Warden coach.

After seeing his players in action against top-notch competition, Edson is confident it won't be long before Warden registers its first win in program history.

"I would like to think a realistic goal for the team is to finish in the upper part of the league," said the Warden coach. "I think they are very capable of being competitive."