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Warren breaks through, beats Miami Trace in tourney opener

By Jordan Holland 3 min read

VINCENT -- Miami Trace was in preservation mode, but eventually, Warren broke through.

In a Division III Southeast District tournament opener Tuesday, the Warriors got second-half goals from Shawn Adams and Kyle Anthony to win 2-0 and eliminate the Panthers.

Miami Trace, which finished the year 8-10, took a conservative approach with a focus on keeping Warren from scoring. The Warriors, though, kept creating opportunities.

"You create enough chances, eventually it's going to break and eventually you're going to score," said Warren head coach Ben Atkinson.

"I knew they would try to make it as challenging as possible. I didn’t know they were gonna sit super deep like they did, but all credit to them."

Warren controlled possession for the majority of the match, putting eight shots on goal compared to two for Miami Trace. The Warriors also finished with 11 corner kicks, while the Panthers had three. But even with Warren holding the statistical edge, Miami Trace managed to force a draw through the first 40 minutes.

"We had chances throughout the entire first half, we just couldn’t put them away," Atkinson said. "They were sitting with 11 players under the ball, so it was always going to be difficult. When you don’t finish your chances and you’re not clinical enough, that’s just kind of what happens. Not really the cleanest performance, but, you know, whatever gets the job done at the end of the day."

Seven minutes into the second half, Warren finally put a dent in the scoreboard. Liam Grosselin controlled the ball up the field. Dribbling to his left, Grosselin noticed an unmarked Adams making a reverse run to go to his right. Grosselin played a perfect ball in between the two center backs, giving Adams a one-on-one opportunity with Miami Trace keeper Liam Havens, who finished with six saves but was unable to stop Adams' strike.

"It was just a really good run first from Liam, and good movement off the ball from Shawn," Atkinson said.

About five minutes later, Anthony gave the Warriors some breathing room with another goal.

The Panthers struggled to generate many chances, but with five minutes left, Maddix McGuire nearly scored off a free kick. His shot was on target to the left side of the goal, but Warren keeper Jonah Hollis dove to his right and swatted the ball away to preserve the two-goal lead. Hollis finished with two saves and a clean sheet.

"It’s good. It’s just the start," Atkinson said. "Hopefully we can pick up some heat and finish strong."

Up next for the Warriors (7-7-3) is a rubber match against the second-seeded Athens Bulldogs. Warren won at Athens 2-0 on Aug. 20, but the Bulldogs got revenge in the form of a 3-0 victory on Sept. 17 in Vincent. Round three is at 6 p.m. Thursday at Joe Burrow Stadium.

"I think Athens will be a completely different team," Atkinson said. "They definitely won’t sit deep. They’ll definitely try to attack us. They have a lot higher quality, and they’ll play pretty direct. Hopefully we can play a strong game and push them and get a result."

Contact Jordan Holland at jholland@newsandsentinel.com.

Division III Southeast District Tournament

Warren 2, Miami Trace 0

M (8-10) 0 0 -- 0

W (7-7-3) 0 2 -- 2

W: Shawn Adams, Liam Grosselin assist, 47th minute

W: Kyle Anthony, 52nd minute

Team stats

Shots on goal: M: 2; W: 8; Keeper saves: M: Liam Havens 6; W: Jonah Hollis 2; Corner kicks: M: 3; W: 11

Next match: Warren at Athens, 6 p.m. Thursday (District Quarterfinal)

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