Warhorses bound for the second round
Owen soccer opens playoffs with 6-1 victory
Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
November 2, 2021
The Owen Warhorses advanced to the second round of the NCHSAA 2A Soccer State Playoffs, following a 6-1 victory over West Caldwell.
The No. 7 seed Warhorses hosted the No. 26 Warriors, Nov. 1, and were in control throughout the night.
The offensive attack of Owen, which finished the regular season as Western Highlands Conference Champions and 10-0 in conference play, was ignited in the fourth minute of play with a goal from Daniel Garcia. The sophomore was led to the West Caldwell goal by a perfectly placed assist from Elijah Caro.
Less than four minutes later, Garcia increased Owen’s lead with his second goal of the night, using his left foot from the right side of the goal to find the back of the net.
Garcia was one of three Warhorses who recorded 2 goals in the contest.
A perfectly timed header by Abraham Pospishil gave Owen a 3-0 advantage later in the first half, and senior Jason Gun added to the lead with a free kick in the 28th minute.
West Caldwell took advantage of its own free kick opportunity in the final minutes of the half, and the Warhorses held a 4-1 lead at the break.
Pospishil and Gun would each add goals in the second half, and the Warhorses celebrated the playoff win by applauding the home fans in Warhorse Stadium.
“If you guys play like that every night, then holy cow,” head coach David Fiest told his team after the match. “I’m really proud of the way you guys fought for this win tonight.”
The Warhorses, who improved to 17-2 this season with the victory, will host No. 23 seed Lincoln Charter, at 6 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 4. The Eagles enter the contest with an overall 9-11-1 mark, following a 4-3 win over No. 10 seed Robinson.
The winner of the match will take on the winner of the Nov. 4 contest between No. 2 Lincolnton and No. 18 Forest Hills.
Photos of Owen’s opening round victory over West Caldwell can be found in the gallery at the top of the page.