However, strong play by South goalie Chip Rittenhouse kept the Warriors from scoring. Rittenhouse ended the night with 11 saves.
With less than two minutes remaining, the Warriors had the ball on the Rebels' side of the field, setting up a final push to tie. However, after a foul was called, tempers flared as several Rebels and Warriors engaged in heated words. Possession was awarded to the Rebels (2-3, 1-0), which brought Warriors coach Michael Long onto the field to give the officials a piece of his mind.
"The official blew the whistle for a rough tackle, and signaled white throw-in," Long said. "Then (South) made a signal to the official, and then he signaled green throw-in. At that late stage of the game, to have possession taken away from you, it's very frustrating."
Coach Myers saw the situation differently.
"My interpretation is that emotions got the best of some people. With all of the confusion involved, anybody in that situation would probably have reacted similarly to (Long). If things were different, it might have gone the other way."
Despite the dustup -- and some words exchanged between the coaches immediately following the game -- cooler heads prevailed.
"South played hard the whole match, I have to hand it to them," said Long. "I have the utmost respect for Coach Myers and his program."
"Coach Long's team played a heck of a game. I respect him and his team, and I understand his frustration," said Myers. "They played impressive defense, and we proved to ourselves that we can capitalize with our speed."
In the JV game, the Warriors beat the Rebels, 5-1.
