Gallery by Karen Akers
Often times in the postseason a team can be its own enemy.
Having beat Bluefield twice in the regular season and with a possible showdown lurking Saturday with defending sectional champion PikeView, Shady Spring could have been caught looking ahead,
That was not the case for the No. 1 seeded Tigers in their Class AA Region 3, Section 1 boys semifinal clash with the Beavers at H.B. Thomas Field.
Taking a 2-0 lead into halftime, the Tigers added four more goals in the second half to earn a 6-0 win over the visitors from Mercer County.
“I feel like Bluefield has progressed and there were stretches where it was back and forth. Even compared to the first two times that we played them, they had a better product on the field tonight. Postseason play does bring that out,” Shady Spring head Josiah Smith said. “We knew we had to focus on this game. That is tempting at times when you have won two in the regular season. We were definitely dialed in and ready to deal with Bluefield tonight.”
All-state striker Michael Vecellio came out firing and hammered home a goal just a minutes and two seconds into the match.
However, what appeared would be a huge first half never materialized. Even though Shady controlled the possession and had numerous shots, the ball could not find the back of the net.
Two goals were wiped off on offside calls, while other chances went wanting on missed opportunities and great keeper play by Davis Rockness.
“Their keeper made some phenomenal saves tonight,” Vecellio said. “He played a great game.”
With just over six minutes to play, a Vecellio scored again, but this time it was younger brother Nathan who gave Shady a 2-0 lead that stood at halftime.
Smith knew his senior was a bit frustrated at the break, but he never doubted Michael Vecellio would come out guns blazing in the second half.
“Michael is a phenomenal player and he leads this team in so many ways,” Smith said. “The goals not coming early, I think that was challenging for him. He just needed to refocus and I think he did. He came out rip-roaring and ready to score some goals.”
Vecellio admitted he was slightly frustrated, but the reassurances from the coaches made the difference for him.
“First half shots were not falling at all and I was a little bit frustrated. At halftime both coaches came up to me and told me they knew I could do it. Just keep putting the goals in. I just told myself to go out there and get it done.”
The first half frustration turned into a second half hat trick for Vecellio who netted a try in less than 90 seconds for a 3-nil lead.
In the next 13 minutes of play, Vecellio hammered home two more goals for a 5-0 lead for the Tigers.
Garrett Meador added the final goal of the night, all of which were assisted by another player.
Nathan Vecellio, Elijah Smith, Micah Smith, Jody Thomas, Walker Furrow and Anderson Kim all recorded assists Wednesday night.
“They are a very unselfish group. I felt like that might have hurt us a little bit in the first half. We were patient, patient, patient for stretches looking for opportunities. Then when we pulled the trigger, we were missing the goal. And their keeper, I was impressed,” Smith said. “The culture we work for is every player comfortable with the ball at their feet, finding their teammates, moving the ball and being assertive with their touch and passing.”
Shady Spring will now face No. 2 seed PikeView who was a 2-1 winner over James Monroe Wednesday. The two teams split the regular season matchup with the home team winning both contests.
The match is set for Saturday at 6 p.m. in Shady Spring.
