Tedros Berelsman celebrates his go-ahead goal late in the second half of Warsaw’s sectional game with Fort Wayne South Side Monday. (Photos by James Costello)

WARSAW — For most of its Sectional 7 opener with Fort Wayne South Side, Warsaw’s boys soccer team was winning everywhere except the scoreboard.

The two teams were still knotted in a stalemate at the end of the first half, until the Tigers — despite leading in every statistical category and mostly dominating possession — found themselves trailing when Greg Adams volleyed in a South Side goal in the 48th minute.

The home team still trailed nearly 19 minutes later, but Jorge Rico’s goal on an Erick O’cock assist in the 67th minute sparked a flurry of goals by the Tigers, and Warsaw advanced with a 3-1 victory over the Archers Monday night.

Huntington North edged out Fort Wayne Wayne 1-1 via 5-3 penalty kick shootout in the late game. The Vikings and the Tigers will play in the early semifinal Wednesday at 5 p.m., with a nightcap between Fort Wayne North and Homestead to follow at 7 p.m. The championship is slated for Saturday at 2 p.m.

Warsaw’s slow start Monday was something of an unpleasant surprise to head coach Frank Courtois following his team’s regular season-closing win versus Northridge last Thursday.

“That’s what I told the kids: ‘Hey, this is not the same team that played Northridge. You guys need to wake up and play.’ And they did. They responded very well,” said Courtois.

The Tigers celebrate Jorge Rico’s equalizer Monday.

The Tigers had taken seven shots on frame compared to just one by the Archers before Adams’ quick one-touch late in the 67th minute left them playing from behind. A shift to a 4-4-2 formation finally paid off for Warsaw when O’Cock crossed a ball deep into the box, and Rico put away the equalizer midway through the 67th minute. That score nearly perfectly mirrored another opportunity earlier in the 67th minute when Cole Voss played a similar ball in to Rico from the opposite wing, but South Side keeper Juan Sanchez was able to punch the would-be goal away.

“You are always working to the line and then lay it inside the box outside the 6 (yard line). That’s what you want. We work on it, every team works on it, and it pays off,” explained Courtois.

Rico’s goal energized the Tigers, and they found the go-ahead a little more than two minutes later when a long Payne Rager free kick cued a hopper inside the box, and Tedros Berelsman flicked a header past Sanchez to put Warsaw out front, 2-1. Sanchez was injured on the play and replaced by Gannery Htoo in the Archers goal.

Berelsman heads in the go-ahead goal.

“That’s why I moved him up. He’s good in the air,” said Courtois of Berelsman. “He’s playing in the back, he’s

controlling the defense, and when I move him up, he’s good up in the air, and he gave us that option.”

If Rico’s equalizer energized the Tigers, Berelsman’s go-ahead relaxed them. Looking loose, Warsaw kept the pressure on until the Tigers found the back of the net one last time when Anthony Brown found Blake Burns on a long service up the wing, and Brown drove it through the outstretched hand of Htoo to bring the score to its final margin in the 77th minute.

The Tigers leveled 12 shots on goal to South Side’s four and took 10 corner kicks to none by the visitors. Harrison Mevis made three saves in goal for the Tigers. Sanchez finished with nine.

Warsaw continues its hunt for a sectional title in the first year of the three-class IHSAA tournament and first since a 2-A championship in 2013.

“That’s what we are all working for. We’ve been working for postseason all season,” Courtois said. “Hopefully we can get another win on Wednesday.”

Blake Burns battles South Side’s Freedom Neh for possession.

Luis Cleto beats Jackson Hser on a run up the middle.