LAKEVILLE – The Warsaw girls soccer team got to face the very best the state has to offer Saturday.

In fact, the Tigers got to square off against arguably one of the best teams in the entire country.

Warsaw dropped a 5-0 final to Penn Saturday morning in the second day of the South Bend St. Joseph’s Invitational contested at Newton Park.

Penn, which went 22-0-1 and won the Class 2-A state title in 2016, is ranked No. 1 in Indiana and is also the top-ranked team in the nation by at least one ranking poll. The Kingsmen feature several Division I players, led by Player of the Year candidate Kristina Lynch, who has committed to Florida State. Lynch had 38 goals and 26 assists last season as she earned the Gatorade Player of the Year honors for Indiana.

Penn, which was also the state runner-up two years ago, will compete in the Class 3-A portion of the state tournament series this year after the IHSAA added another class for soccer.

Despite the final score, first-year Warsaw coach Jon Hoover was very pleased with the work of his team.

“The score did not reflect how well this game was played,” said Hoover via email. “We played some incredible soccer today against a very tough opponent.Anna Grill’s shot that hit the post four minutes into the game could have changed the entire landscape of how the game was played, but the ball just didn’t bounce our way. We had the run of possession for the first ten minutes, but agains a team like Penn, you only get a few chances and we failed to capitalize on them.

“I am incredibly proud of how this team never backed down and refused to sit in against a strong opponent. Our team defense and  overall possession took a huge stride forward today.”

Warsaw wrapped up its play in the two-day tourney with a 2-2 tie versus No. 17 Valparaiso Saturday afternoon.

Abby Steffensmeier and Brenna Shipley each had a goal and Brenna Buhrt an assist for the Tigers.

“This is a game that we felt we should have won, but we let slip away,” noted Hoover. “Fatigue definitely played a factor after playing Penn in the morning, but our girls fought through and came back with a big goal in the end to get the draw.

“Anna Grill, Olivia Herman, Dayle Harvey and Brenna Shipley were solid in the back against some tough competition this weekend. Brenna Buhrt and Delaney Taylor have proven to be one of the best midfield tandems in the state, and Alex Koontz is getting stronger and stronger each day. I’m excited to start the NLC season as we get closer and closer to our potential every time we step on the field.”

Warsaw, now 1-2-1, will host Plymouth Tuesday night to open conference play.