Waynesville did its best to contain Springfield Central's senior- dominated Bulldogs Tuesday night, but ultimately saw its season come to an end with a 2-0 loss in the Class 4, District 9 Soccer Tournament at Central's Harrison Stadium.  The young Tigers faced a squad with 13 seniors, but just wouldn't let the Bulldogs have many uncontested shots.  As a result, 15 of Central's 22 shots were off the mark. The Tigers received some inspired play from freshman goalkeeper Isaac Swanson as they held Central scoreless in the first half.  Midway in the half, a hard shot on goal was punched up by Swanson.  The ball didn't sail over the crossbar, instead rebounding back off the bar.  But Swanson pounced on it before Central's forwards could reach it.  Then, in the final two minutes, Central served a long, high ball from near midfield.  The ball bounced high in front of Swanson who headed it twice before controlling it in  front of the open net. Central finally broke the tie eleven minutes into the second half and added an insurance goal with 11:47 left.  The Bulldogs will play Kickapoo on Thursday for the district title.  WHS ended its season with a 6-16 mark. 

Smith Cotton Wins Renewal Game   Sedalia Smith-Cotton hosted Waynesville for the first time since 1999 and came away with 5-0 soccer win Thursday night.  The winners advanced their record to 16-4-1.  Waynesville employed a much different look with a 4-1-4-1 system and really made a fine effort to slow down Sedalia's high-flying offense.  But the Tigers lost defensive starter Garrett Long to injury early in the game and senior  midfielder D.J. Kaaihue for a similar reason in the second half.   Sedalia led 3-0 at the half.   Sedalia had scored ten goals each against four opponents  and nine against a fifth earlier in the season, but Waynesville was determined not to let that happen against it.  Coach Mike Armstrong used all of his players with different lineup mixes to slow Sedalia.  Time and again, the Tigers tight defense turned away the speedy Sedalia attack  and goalkeeper Isaac Swanson made a career-high twelve saves.   Following the game, the officials complemented the Tigers for their desire and effort  against the strong Sedalia team.  Waynesville slipped to 5-12 in their top-heavy schedule.  Its twelve losses have come against teams with an accumulated 148 wins this season.

Class 2 ninth-ranked Springfield Catholic continued its mastery over the Tigers with a 6-1 win Tuesday night in Springfield.  WHS has not beaten the Irish since 2009.  Though not a big team, Catholic used its quickness and sharp passing to keep the Tigers off balance  all night.  Catholic put its stamp on the game with a pair of goals in the first six minutes and led 3-0 at halftime.  Waynesville's Alex Rodriguez spoiled the shutout with 1:46 left in the game when he nailed a wicked shot from about 20 yards out on the right side.  The goal came just moments after Rodriguez had placed a perfect cross along the baseline which Catholic disrupted.  When the ball came back his way, the Tiger forward seemed determined to beat the defense and did so with his perfect shot.  Catholic also won the JV game, 3-2.  Dayton Griffin and Elijah Macgillis scored for Waynesville.  Seth Cruz had a corner kick assist on Macgillis's score. 

Class Four 11th-ranked Kickapoo brought its strong team to Anderson Field Tuesday night and left with a 5-0 Ozark Conference win over the Tigers.  Though the Chiefs scored four times in the first half, the Tigers played with them for 80 yards worth of the field.  However, Kickapoo dominated in the boxes.  Simply put, the Chiefs  finished on offense and, on the other end of the field, the Tigers couldn't.  While Kickapoo managed five goals on Tiger goalkeeper Isaac Swanson, the young freshman stood tall at other times against one of Missouri's best.  Late in the first half, he made a diving save on a header off of a long free kick.  Shortly after the second half began he made another diving save on a free kick.  But his action in goal in the final three minutes brought the crowd shouting to its feet.  It all began when he electrified the crowd by going down to his right and saved a penalty kick.  Kickapoo earned a corner kick off of the save, and Swanson responded to a close-in header by punching it up and over the crossbar.  Finally with :57 left, he raced out and slapped away another corner kick before any of the Chiefs could come close to it.  He finished with nine saves against the conference front-runner.  The Tiger JV played very well, but lost 2-0 as the Chiefs scored twice within two minutes in the first half.  Darin Grosvenor turned in a solid performance in goal. On Friday, Waynesville will travel to Sedalia to play Smith-Cotton High School. The two schools have not met on the soccer pitch since 1999, the last season of the old Mid-Missouri Conference. 

The Tiger soccer team snapped its  losing streak Saturday afternoon with a 2-0 shutout at Camdenton.  The game had been rescheduled from September 9, and took even longer to begin than its 11 a.m. starting time  as Camdenton did not reschedule officials for the contest.  Finally, about 1:30, two officials arrived from Jefferson City and the game began before a nice, patient crowd.   Utltimately, the Tigers broke the game open with a pair of goals within four minutes of each other in the second half.  Danny Sesay broke the scoring deadllock when Brandon Hofmann fed him by splitting a pair of Camdenton defenders in front of the goal mouth.  That came with 33:57 remaining.  Hofmann then scored  himself when Sesay made a nice pass to Joey Cartwright.  Cartwright send it forward to Hofmann who faced a Laker defender  one-on-one.  Hofmann juked right, then left, and then right again before hammering the shot past the d-back and the goalkeeper.   The Tigers outshot Camdenton 14-5.  Freshman goalkeeper Isaac Swanson had saves on each of the Lakers’ three on-goal shots, coming up big twice after WHS built its lead.  With 17:59 remaining, Swanson coverd a good Laker shot to his side.  Then, at the 15:30 mark, Camdenton pushed the ball ahead on an attack and Swanson had to rush out to near the top of the 18.  He dove to the ball, but it squiggled loose.  Swanson scrambled along the ground to get to it before the Lakers  could shoot.  He managed to push it outside of the box where a Tiger  defender cleared it.  That would be the Lakers’ final threat of the game.   The game was the first matchup between Coach Mike Armstrong and former Tiger Coach  Mike Gow, who took the Lakers’ boys position after coaching last spring’s WHS girls’’ team.Scoring woes continued for the Tiger JV team as it was shutout twice at the Ozark Tournament on Saturday.  Both teams host powerful Springfield Kickapoo on Tuesday at Anderson Field. 

Sometimes soccer just hurts.  It hurt host Waynesville Thursday night when Columbia-Battle pulled out a long, close fought 3-2 win with a 5-4 shootout at Anderson Field.  While the Tigers  dominated Battle for most of the game, their scoring troubles continued and they were forced into two overtime periods and the inevitiable shootout. Waynesville out shot Battle 27-11 and had a 16-5 edge in shots-on-goal through the two overtimes.  But Battle’s stiff backline was reinforced by mids and sometimes forwards while its goalkeeper managed 14 saves on the night.  The Tigers rarely had a clean shot within the box. The Tigers took an initial lead in the game with 8:39 left in the first half.  Forward Zack Sieber, found a long ball served up the left sideline by Gunnar Coonrod and lofted a high chip shot over the goalkeeper’s head for the score.  The Tigers had dominated play up to that point, but were stunned twice beginning four minutes later.  Battle tied the score on a long set piece off a direct kick.  Just over a minute later, a Tiger foul in the box gave Battle a PK which it converted for a 2-1 halftime lead.   The Spartans seemed content to win 2-1 and simply played defense in the second half.  Waynesville had numerous opportunities.  Sieber made a beautiful volley shot, Brandon Hofmann blasted a hard shot from 20 yards out, and headers by Hofmann and Brandon Burkett were all turned away.  But with 5:43 remaining,  DJ Kaaihue placed a hard shot out of a crowd and a Battle defender was called for a hand ball.  Danny Sesay stepped up and converted it to force the overtime periods.   Hofmann and Jorge Arriaga had the best scoring chances in the first overtime and goalkeeper Isaac Swanson came up big in the second.  First he made a nice save on a hard free kick, and with 2:12 remaining, he scranbled out of the goal box after a loose ball, went down to try and control it and then saved the game with a deflection. The Tigers had a 4-3 lead entering the final shootout round, but Waynesville missed while Battle scored to tie it at four.  With the second five shooters lined up, Battle’s keeper saved the first Tiger attempt and the next Battle shooter slotted one into the back net to end the game.   There was a nice crowd of Tiger fans at the game and they were very vocal in their support.  Waynesville won the JV game 1-0 on a goal by Matt Knell. 

Waynesville gave Rolla plenty of stiff competition Monday night, but the host Bulldogs managed a 2-1 Ozark Conference victory in the end.  The Tigers played an especially solid first half and entered the break with a 1-1 draw, but the Bulldogs scored on a set piece just 1:48 into the second half and that proved to be the winner. Rolla, which banks on the success of its set plays year in and year out, scored off a corner kick to take a 1-0 lead in the 19th minute.  The Tigers tied the score with 10:11 remaining in the first half.  After Joey Cartwright  was fouled in the box,  Danny Sesay stepped up and nailed the penalty kick.  The Tigers had six shots on goal, but the Rolla keeper stopped them all.  Strong showings in the Waynesville back helped keep the Tigers within striking distance.  Isaac Swanson had nine saves in the net and centerback Gunnar Coonrod made two defensive saves on hard shots along the goal line. The Tiger JV lost 2-0.  Both teams will host Columbia Battle on Thursday. 

Waynesville gave Rolla plenty of stiff competition Monday night, but the host Bulldogs managed a 2-1 Ozark Conference victory in the end.  The Tigers played an especially solid first half and entered the break with a 1-1 draw, but the Bulldogs scored on a set piece just 1:48 into the second half and that proved to be the winner. Rolla, which banks on the success of its set plays year in and year out, scored off a corner kick to take a 1-0 lead in the 19th minute.  The Tigers tied the score with 10:11 remaining in the first half.  After Joey Cartwright  was fouled in the box,  Danny Sesay stepped up and nailed the penalty kick.  The Tigers had six shots on goal, but the Rolla keeper stopped them all.  Strong showings in the Waynesville back helped keep the Tigers within striking distance.  Isaac Swanson had nine saves in the net and centerback Gunnar Coonrod made two defensive saves on hard shots along the goal line. The Tiger JV lost 2-0.  Both teams will host Columbia Battle on Thursday. 

Waynesville fought visiting Springfield Glendale tooth and nail Wednesday evening, but the tall and talented Falcons went home with a 3-0 Ozark Conference victory.  WHS never backed off from the perennial  title contenders, but just didn't have the scoring punch to catch them.  Glendale scored the only goal it needed in the 23rd minute off of a corner kick.  Two more midway in the second half were too much to overcome.  The Tigers possessed the ball well at times, but had trouble penetrating Glendale's back line.  The Tigers will face Springfield Greenwood Friday afternoon in the annual Kickapoo Shootout which will continue on Saturday.

Ten seconds left in overtime...9, 8, 7, 6, Goooooaaaaaaalllllll! Tigers win on a combo shot from the squad's bro combo!  The game winning volley shot by junior Joey Cartwright came off of senior brother Austin Cartwright's corner kick to give the Tigers a 4-3 sudden-victory overtime win Monday night at Springfield Parkview.  The win was doubly important because Parkview is both a conference and district opponent.  But the big game winner wasn't the only heart-stopper for WHS.  Trailing 3-2 in the final minute of regulation, Waynesville put heavy pressure on the goal mouth.  A desperation shot by Brandon Burkett was deflected by a defender toward the unoccupied left post and redirected into the back of the net by Brandon Hofmann with just 42  seconds remaining.  That tied the game and set up the overtime sudden victory scenario. But with all of that excitement late, it didn't appear to be the Tigers' night for much of the game.  Parkview opened the game possessed with determination to avenge last year's 11-2 district tournament loss to the Tigers.  The Vikings were all over Waynesville early and scored in the game's second minute.  Danny Sesay tied the score three minutes later on a well-placed penalty kick, but the hosts made it 2-1 with 23:18 remaining in the first half.  That lead would extend 12 minutes deep into the second half when it was Hofmann who tied it at 2-2 with an unassisted goal.  Playing much better than they did in the first half, the Tigers dominated until 7:46 remaining.  That's when the Vikings cleared a ball deep, followed it with a long through ball, and took the lead when they punched it in past oncoming Tiger goal keeper Isaac Swanson.  As the seconds ticked down, it appeared Parkview would  win the game, and then Hofmann forced the OT with 42 seconds left.  Waynesville outshot Parkview 20-12, with a 17-10 edge in shots on goal.  Both goal keepers came up big at times and Swanson finished with 7 saves for the Tigers.  WHS is now 4-3 overall and 3-1 in the Ozark Conference.  The Tigers have split their first two games against future district opponents.  The JV game ended in a scoreless draw as dark overtook the Vikings' unlighted field. 

Repeated lightening ended last night's Waynesville-Nixa soccer game.  The game was called midway in the first half after an initial 30 minute delay was repeatedly extended.  The  game was wiped from the books and will probably not be rescheduled since it was a non-conference matchup.  The Tigers and Eagles may very well face each other next week at the Kickapoo Tournament anyway.  The JV match was played with Nixa winning it 4-0.  Coach Mike Armstrong announced that the Tigers' opening opponent in the Kickapoo Tournament would be Springfield Greenwood.  In addition, the previously canceled game at Camdenton will be made up with an eleven o'clock start on Saturday morning, October 1.  It will be a varsity only makeup since the JV is playing in the Ozark Tournament that day. 

Waynesville center back Gunnar Coonrod played a solid eighty minutes Tuesday night as the Tigers shutout visiting Lebanon 4-0.  Coonrod anchored the defense no matter who was alongside and Waynesville did not allow the Yellowjackets a shot on goal all night.  At times he faced and dispossessed two and three attackers at once.  Coonrod and his buddies in the back made things easy for young goalkeepers Ryan Welburn and Isaac Swanson.  They may appreciate the rest as Nixa comes to play on Wednesday.  Lebanon gave Waynesville the only goal it would need in the tenth minute.  A perfect Austin Cartwright corner kick landed in front of the goal mouth.  It took a crazy bounce towards the LHS back post defender and spun off of  him for an own goal.  Though the Tigers managed to dominate possession after that, they didn't score themselves until 8:30 remaining in the half.  That's when midfielder Brandon Hofmann celebrated his Senior Night with a long shot from the right side to make it 2-0  at the half. Waynesville really turned up the heat in the second half, blasting away with 16 shots, 11 of them on goal.  Danny Sesay scored the last two Tiger goals; one off an Austin Cartwright corner kick and the other on his own, beating a crowd of 'Jacket defenders in the goal mouth.  Waynesville evened its overall record at 3-3.  The Tigers are now 2-1 in the Ozark Conference.  In addition to Hofmann, Waynesville also honored seniors Jorge Arriaga, Austin Cartwright, Triston Garrido, DJ Kaaihue, and Zack Sieber.  WHS also won the JV game 6-0. Tony Rodriguez  led the way with a pair of goals. 

The Soccer Tigers snapped a three-game losing streak with an 8-0 win over West Plains in Waynesville's home opener Tuesday night at Anderson Field.  Four different Tigers found their way into the scoring column with Danny Sesay netting four of them on his own.  Waynesville wasted no time in establishing itself against the Zizzers.  Midfielder Joey Cartwright opened the scoring just a minute-fifteen after the kickoff.  Sesay began his night six minutes later.  After controlling the ball near midfield, Sesay made a perfect pass to DJ Kaaihue on the left sideline.  Kaaihue broke off on an uncontested dribble drive down the side at the same time that Sesay raced down the middle of the field.  Once inside the eighteen, Kaaihue touched a  perfect pass back to Sesay who redirected it into the goal.  The two hooked up again two minutes later with the help of teammate Brandon Burkett.  Burkett took possession under heavy pressure in front of the goal.  He sent a short touch pass to Kaaihue who touched it back across to Sesay for the quick goal.  Sesay and Burkett each then scored unassisted goals for a 5-0 lead at halftime.  In the second half, Sesay scored his final goal off an assist from Brandon Hofmann, but he almost had another two minutes earlier.  On that attempt, Kaaihue penetrated to the end line under heavy pressure, turned and sent a perfect back pass to Sesay who set it toward goal.  Only a lucky defensive save kept that one from going in.  Kaaihue contined his great footwork when he raced the oncoming goalkeeper for a through ball, won it by a split second, touched left and shot the ball back to his right into the empty net.  The Tigers' Adam Knell scored his first goal of the season off a pass from Joey Cartwright to wrap up the scoring race.  The win was Waynesville's tenth straight over West Plains, dating back to 2007.   The Tiger JV won for the first time this season, beating the Zizzers 4-0.  Antonio Rodriguez had a pair of scores.  Kaleb Garcia and Tulio Crostwaite also found the goal mouth.   

Willard managed a single goal midway in the second half and made it stand up for a 1-0 soccer win over Waynesville Thursday night in Willard.  The host Tigers' winner came when their attacker beat Waynesville defenders on the baseline and slotted one inside the far side net. The Willard back line time and again thwarted Waynesville's center attack with a trapping defense to deny Waynesville's up man a shot on goal.  A WHS highlight came in the 18th minute.  With Willard  flooding the goal mouth and Tiger keeper Isaac Swanson down following a block, Jeremiah Soria stepped up and made a defensive save by clearing a ball right at the goal line.  Swanson went on and had six saves in the game. In the JV game, Willard gave Waynesville an own goal early, but the hosts scored twice late for a 2-1 win.  Goalkeeper Ryan Wilburn blocked a Willard penalty kick early in the second half. 

Heartbreak.  That was evident on the faces of the Tiger soccer players, coaches, and fans Tuesday night after a narrow 3-2 loss at Joplin.  A close game turned Waynesville's direction with 18:33 remaining when DJ Kaaihue headed in an Austin Cartwright corner kick for a 2-1 lead.  The Tigers fought to hold on to the lead as they tired in the waning minutes.  Joplin, deeper on the bench and a bit more rested, tied the game on a penalty kick with 2:58 left.  Joplin's Tom Hernandez pressured the Tigers moments later, intercepted a pass, and dribbled it downfield for the winning goal just minutes later. WHS took an initial lead when Brandon Hofmann scored off a short pass from Jeremiah Soria nine minutes into the game.  That came after the Tigers' third straight corner kick, a stat that Waynesville dominated with 12 to Joplin's one during the game.  Joplin tied the game eight minutes later and it was 1-1 at halftime.  The Eagles twice had goals denied by offside calls, and a third opportunity careened off the crossbar.  Freshman goalkeeper Isaac Swanson  made a big play early in the second half when he rushed out and smothered a breakaway just as the attacker was about to shoot.   Swanson finished with five saves for the Tigers.  Tiger Coach Mike Armstrong described the Tiger effort as their "best game of the year" despite the loss.  Armstrong also praised senior midfielder Hofmann for his  continued fine play.  In the the JV preliminary game, Joplin scored with six minutes remaining to edge the Tigers 1-0.

Defending district champion Springfield Central showed strength once again with a 4-0 soccer win over the Tigers Friday night at Harrison Stadium in Springfield.  Waynesville played well defensively and appeared headed to halftime in a scoreless draw.  But a foul in the box granted the Bulldogs a penalty kick with 2:24 remaining, and it was converted for a 1-0 lead.  In the second half, Central's defense dominated the game, not allowing a shot on goal, while its offense put in three against WHS.  The Tiger JV saw its first action of the season and gained a 1-1 draw with the hosts.  Tony Rodriguez found the back of the net for Waynesville. 

Junior forward Daniel Sesay kicked off the 2016 soccer season in high style Tuesday with a five-goal performance in the Tigers 9-0 Ozark Conference soccer whitewash at Springfield Hillcrest.  Sesay turned the game upside down early by scoring just two-and-a-half minutes into the game and having four goals in the first 7:05 of play.  His fourth goal came on a beautiful one touch redirecton from a perfect free kick off the foot of Austin Cartwright.  Cartwright's brother, Joey, also had an assist on a Sesay goal and made it 5-0 at halftime with a score of his own.  Sesay's final goal came with 15:41 remaining after Brandon Hoffman had scored early in the second half.  Freshman Garret Long opened his high school career with two goals in the final nine minutes, one off another assist from Joey Cartwright. The Tigers out shot their hosts 29-1, giving first-year goal keepers Isaac Swanson and Ryan Wilburn  a chance to become comfortable with their first varsity experiences this fall.