An Alexander defender falls to the ground as Warren’s Ashton Barrow tracks down a loose ball during Tuesday’s high school boys soccer match at Warren High School. (Photo by Kerry Patrick)

VINCENT – The stat sheet will say differently, but Warren soccer player Ian Gardner walked away from the Warriors’ 3-2 win over Alexander with the impression he recorded a hat trick.

Gardner, one of seven Warren players recognized on senior night, scored two second-half goals and had a third nullified when the field judge waved off the goal because of a foul which occurred moments earlier.

“That was my goal,” said Gardner with purpose in his response. Among his fandom in attendance – a large contingent all wearing blue T-shirts with the words “That’s Our Senior” — was his brother in the military who traveled cross-country just to watch his brother on senior night.

With the win, Warren improved to 9-4-2 and avenged its only loss over the last eight matches – a 2-0 loss three weeks ago at Alexander. The Warriors end the regular season Thursday at West Muskingum.

“During our pregame huddle, I talked to the kids about having fun – you know, it’s always about winning and performing but have fun,” Warren coach Ben Atkinson said. “You only get one senior night. I hope the seniors got the soccer experience that I want everybody to get. Obviously, you want to win, but enjoy it and have life lessons.

Warren’s Zane Ott tries to keep the ball from going through his legs during a high school boys soccer match against Alexander, Tuesday in Vincent. (Photo by Kerry Patrick)

“A win on senior night was definitely what we were hoping for. It definitely wasn’t pretty and we could have handled business a lot better than we did. In the end, a win is a win no matter how you get it.”

The match didn’t exactly start on the right foot for Warren. Alexander nearly scored an own goal four minutes into the first half. The Spartans eventually broke through for a 1-0 lead when Jace Cooper scored off an assist from Gabe Felts 15 minutes into the match.

Warren supplied an answer at the 13:05 mark. The sequence began with a throw-in deep in Alexander territory. Kyle Anthony took possession from the right hash and put significant air time in his shot attempt which sailed over the keeper’s head and into the opposite corner of the net.

Tied 1-1 at intermission, Warren scored two unanswered goals in the first 14 minutes of the second half. Gardner scored the go-ahead thanks to a downfield pass from teammate Reme Fairbanks.

Almost like a wide receiver, Gardner tracked the ball on a dead sprint and beat the keeper to the right corner of the net for a 2-1 lead at the 36:18 mark.

Warren goalkeeper Jonah Hollis works on his technique prior to the start of Tuesday’s high school boys soccer match with Alexander in Vincent. (Photo by Kerry Patrick)

Coach Atkinson noted Gardner is just one of a host of players on the roster who have breakaway speed.

“We were able to get downfield pretty good because of this turf,” Gardner said. “But I think we are all pretty fast and very athletic as a team. We’re all pretty quick getting through to the ball.

“We are not the biggest and we are not the strongest, but we definitely hustle harder than most teams out there.”

The two Warren players had a hand in the next goal. Fairbanks weaved his way through the Alexander defense for a close look. The keeper made the initial save, but Gardner took the rebound and found an opening for a 3-1 lead with 26:09 remaining in the match.

Despite suffering a shoulder injury late in the second half, Gardner’s final regular season home match was one to remember.

“As a freshman playing soccer here at Warren, I used to be a wild one,” Gardner said. “I used to be really aggressive and get all kinds of yellow cards. I’ve definitely calmed down a lot.”

The goal taken off the board for Warren occurred at 17:26. Still with some life, Alexander inched closer at 3-2 on a goal from Felts with 5:53 remaining in regulation.

The Spartans’ last gasp, however, ended when Warren kept possession deep in the offensive end for the final 45 seconds.

Alexander suffered its fourth loss in a row and slipped to 9-6-1.

“Our guys competed to the end and I appreciated that,” Alexander coach Justin Roush said. “The positive we take from this, we didn’t give up.”

The postseason for Warren arrives next Thursday when the Warriors host Athens.

“Athens is a good team and they definitely could punish us,” Atkinson said. “We lost a game in the first round last year in the first round of the playoffs to a team we should not be losing to. We just have to make sure we do all the small things. We do that and big things will happen.”

Contact Kerry Patrick at kpatrick@newsandsentinel.com