WACO fights, Fairfield wins

WAYLAND — The Fairfield soccer team didn’t know what to expect when it went into Wayland on Thursday night, but what they got was a fight from the upstart WACO Warriors.

WACO hung right with Fairfield for over half the game during the Warriors’ first home soccer game, but the debut was spoiled by three Trojan goals in the second half.

Fairfield had three different players score in a 3-0 victory, in what was also the Trojans’ season opener.

The two teams traded shots in the first half, and although Fairfield got the majority of the chances, WACO’s defense, anchored by goalkeeper Colton Leichty, turned away every chance.

“This is what I was worried about,” said Fairfield head coach Felisto Guezimane after the game. “We've never played against a first-time team, and we didn't know what to expect. They were pretty motivated.”

Fortunately for the visiting Trojans, Fairfield’s offense got on the board early in the second half after the Warriors were called for a handball in the box. Carter Stark scored on the penalty kick, and it was 1-0 Fairfield.

The Trojans’ second-half goals came nearly 10 minutes apart from each other. Andrew Titze sprung free for a goal off a rush with 24:43 shooting, and Ezra Kuster scored the third with 13:28 on the clock.

Still, Guezimane says he didn’t like how his team looked against a WACO squad that showed a lot of bite for being a brand-new team.

“We were very slow,” Guezimane said. “I don't know it if was overconfidence, or if the players weren't mentally ready for the game.”

Fairfield ended the night with 16 shots on goal, five by Stark. Mikael Anderson saved the only two shots that found him in net.

WACO’s Keiran Luitjens had two shots on goal in the loss. Tristan Luitjens finished with one. Leichty saved 10 shots in his debut in net.

The Warriors’ new squad is packed with underclassmen, as seven of the 13 players who saw the field were freshmen or sophomores. The team had just one senior get time.

Fairfield (1-0) will have quite the challenge with a trip to play defending Southeast Conference champion Fort Madison on Thursday. Waco (0-1) also will be playing on Thursday, as the Warriors look for their first ever win in a road game at Highland.