Warren’s Emma Parker (21) possesses the ball as Marietta’s Caroline Cortopassi (2) defends during Thursday’s match in Vincent. (Photo by Jordan Holland)

VINCENT — Missing a couple key starters due to injury and illness, the Marietta girls soccer team had to rely on some reinforcements for Thursday’s rivalry match against Warren.

The Tigers had three freshmen in their starting lineup and were forced to test their depth, but in the end MHS prevailed 3-0.

“I just think we’ve had a lot of girls step up,” said Marietta head coach Bill Mannix. “We started three freshmen tonight, and we still stepped up and played. I’m very proud of the whole lineup. We’re having to bring in some young players, so it’s pretty exciting.”

Ninth-graders Annalise Spencer and Blaire Reed both recorded goals in the match.

It was Marietta’s second win over the Warriors on the young season. The two teams squared off at Marietta College in the season opener, with the Tigers claiming a 6-1 triumph.

Marietta’s Lexi Addis (10) attempts a shot as Warren’s Gracyn Lynn (2) defends during Thursday’s match in Vincent. (Photo by Jordan Holland)

Warren provided a much tougher challenge this time around.

“I just think they came out with a lot more confidence tonight than they did when they played us at Marietta College,” Mannix said. “They challenged very hard tonight, which is good for them. They’ve had several days to get ready for us, which is great. The competition is important for all of us. I like a good, physical game. They did a really nice job stepping their game up from when we played the first time.”

For all the freshman heroics, it was a pair of seniors who combined to give Marietta an early cushion.

In the third minute, Izzy Riggs delivered an accurate pass to Lauren Elliott, who floated a shot just over the head of Warren keeper Abby Whited to make it 1-0.

Both sides settled in defensively, but the Tigers struck again at the 5:06 mark in the first half. Off a corner kick, Adelia Berner got her foot on the ball and deadened it behind Spencer, who turned around and smashed it into the back of the net for a 2-0 halftime advantage.

“First half they were kind of press, press, pressing us,” Mannix said. “We had a chat at halftime that we can’t get pressed around. They’re pretty good at that. They’re just a solid, solid team. We had a lot of chances that we could have scored in the second half, but we just couldn’t put the ball in frame.”

Finally, with 5:13 left in the match, Marietta did get another ball on frame when Reed got behind the Warren defense and buried the Tigers’ third goal of the match.

Marietta’s attack kept Whited on her toes throughout the match. The Warren senior denied eight of the Tigers’ shots on goal, with Marietta registering 11 total accurate shots.

On the other end, MHS kept the Warriors’ attack mostly at bay. Warren’s best scoring chance came at the 19:16 mark in the second half. Freshman Kenzi Cunningham got the ball in space and put a shot on target, but Marietta’s sophomore goalie Maura Misel got into perfect position and snagged it. A goal there for the Warriors, who are 2-3 and play host to Fairfield Union at 5 p.m. Saturday, gets them right back in the match.

“I did like the fact that we were able to bend but not break,” Mannix said. “They’ve got a lot of speed up top, so they try to play the ball to their faster players. We were able to either clean it up in the back or or get it out. They weren’t able to possess into the final third and get a shot off. We felt pretty good about the fact that we gave up very little shots on goal.”

Misel saved all three of Warren’s shots on goal in the contest. She’s had a strong season so far despite having to fill the enormous hole that first team All-Ohioan Leigha Lauer left between the pipes.

“We’re really happy with Maura and the confidence that she’s had,” Mannix said. “She spent a lot of time working this summer. She committed a lot this summer because she knew that somebody had to do it. We had kind of a competition all summer. From where she first started to where she is now, we couldn’t be more happy than where she’s at. The style we play, a lot of aggressive defense, a lot of teams are going to try to beat us by playing over the top. She’s very fast coming out of the (goal). You saw our come out clean up numerous chances for us.”

Marietta improved to 41-10-5 in the all-time series against Warren and 18-5-4 in matches played in Vincent. The Tigers are now 4-1 and return home at 1 p.m. Saturday to take on Chillicothe.

“What I really like about the team right now is that everyone’s got a good attitude, and we are continuing to get better as we go. We still have some quirks to fix. Maybe some accuracy on shooting might help,” Mannix laughed, “but for the most part, we’re happy with the effort. We’re happy with the team itself. But again, you got to continue to — a high school soccer season is a grind. You’re trying to get your way to that tournament, and once you get to the tournament, you want to have your team spot on, ready to go. So we feel like we’ve come a long way in the short period of time, and so we’re going to continue to move forward. We’re happy with where we’re at.”

Contact Jordan Holland at jholland@mariettatimes.com.