The Warwick High School girls soccer team turned on the heat in the second half on a cold, breezy day at Grosh Field to score three goals en route to a shutout of visiting Penn Manor on October 4. Their 3-0 win was the first shutout of the season for the Warriors.

“It was well deserved,” said coach Chrissy Casella on the sidelines after the game.  “Our keeper, Taylor Gonzales, was working really hard. She deserves to have the shutout.” Gonzales turned away a total of five Penn Manor shots for the day.

The offense seemed stalled at midfield for much of the first half as the Warriors struggled to connect on passes. Unable to capitalize on first-half scoring opportunities, they battled hard for control of the ball and were bolstered by strong defensive play in the first half that managed to hold Manor scoreless.

“We had goal opportunities in the first,” said Casella, “but we finished them in the second.” The second half is when Warwick turned opportunities into points on the scoreboard.

Sam Machin (17) scored Warwick’s first goal at with 36:15 left in the half after receiving a long pass from Rene Ross up the right side.Machin’s long kick broke the ice for the lady Warriors. The Warriors were relentless in their efforts to keep moving the ball towards goal.

The Warriors next goal came at 28:26 left in the game when Rene Ross (5) received a perfect centering pass from Abby Bomberger and outran defenders towards the goal. Ross nailed the shot into the net, and Warwick went up 2-0.

“Sam’s goal gave them the confidence to keep going to goal, and that gave them the opportunities,” said Casella.

Warwick sealed the victory with a goal by Erin Houser (29), who broke away from defenders and placed another Bomberger pass into the net, stopping the clock with 17:30 left in the game and the Warriors up 3-0. Houser nearly scored a second goal in the game, but Manor keeper Davidson made a diving save.

Warwick ended up with a total of 13 shots and 1 corner, while holding Penn Manor to only five shots and no corners. The Warriors’ connectedness as a team was apparent throughout the game.

Their victory came on the heels of an exciting win in overtime against Manheim Central. Coach Casella recalled the game for LititzDailyNews.com.

“We went up 1-0 off of a free kick by Katie Hipple,” said Casella, “so it was 1-0 at the half.” In the first minute of the second half, however, Manheim Central got on the board.

“Play was pretty even,” said Casella.”(Central) had more goal opportunities, but possession was pretty equal.”  At the end of regulation play, the game was tied, triggering the rule in high school soccer that requires two 10-minute overtime periods, with play ending if either team scores.

About five minutes into the first overtime, Rene Ross scored off of an Abby Bomberger pass, giving Warwick the 2-1 victory.

“It was awesome,” Casella said. “I feel like we haven’t had very many wins, bu the wins have been really great wins.”

The October 4 win brought the team’s record to 6-9-1.

“We’ve had some pretty tough losses, but they continue to come back and fight each and every game,” said Casella.

Lynn Rebuck reports sports for LititzDailyNews.com. Dave Berk contributed to this story. Email comments, questions, and photo requests to [email protected].