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DUBOIS -- Final scores aren't always indicative of who the better team was. One could argue that was the case for the Warren boys soccer team over the weekend as they competed in the Beaver Kickoff Classic. Having to handle numerous unanticipated injuries throughout the tournament, the Dragons dropped both games.
The Dragons first faced tournament host DuBois and fell in a heartbreaking 3-2 fashion.
"I was really happy with the boys’ performance against DuBois," said head coach Steffen Blair. "It was the first time this season we've seen a team of that quality, who obviously went on to win the tournament, and we matched up really well. Our structure was good, we did well to limit their chances and moved the ball well. We made a couple simple mistakes early that ended up being the difference in the game, but overall I'm proud of how the boys competed."
Goal scorers for Warren were Timmy Giger, assisted by Mason Warner, and Gabe Dougherty, assisted by Grant Newton.
Game 2 featured another tough matchup against Altoona. Adding to the already tall order was now six key Dragons out due to injury, including senior captain Trey Carrington.
"Losing Trey was huge for us. He sets the tone physically," Blair said. "Not having him against Altoona was a huge blow for us, and I think a lot of our struggles in that game were a testament to how important he is to what we do."
The Dragons fell by a score of 5-2 to the Mountain Lions. Finding the back of the net were Adam Yeager and Grant Newton, both assisted by Ashton Carrington. Despite the losses, coach Blair and the Dragons have a plethora of positive takeaways from the weekend.
"Ashton (Carrington) was huge for us all weekend. He was impactful at every level of the field, and it's impressive to see what he's capable of already as a freshman," Blair said. "Grant (Newton) was really productive in the attack and gave us great effort, energy and link up play throughout the tournament. We also asked a lot of Bryce (Grolemund), Reilly (Morgan), Kyle (Jones) and Aidan (Sweet) in the back, and they were fantastic all weekend."
Warren will head to Erie on Wednesday to face the McDowell Trojans at 6 p.m.
"Playing against teams of this quality is exactly what we need. It prepares us for the kind of games we're going to have to win to accomplish our goals," Blair said. "That doesn't change with McDowell this week. This is a resilient group, and they're always ready for a challenge."