Gallery Heather Belcher
The soccer match Tuesday night at Paul Cline Stadium had all the ingredients for a possible upset.
Woodrow Wilson (9-1-5) entered the final match of the regular season a heavy favorite against a South Charleston (2-10-4) team that had struggled most of the year.
Add in the emotion of Senior Night for four standout Beckley players and the Flying Eagles had plenty of reasons to come out flat or distracted.
The Flying Eagles did not fall victim to an upset, but the Black Eagles were no pushover either.
Blasting 11 shots on goal, Woodrow Wilson could find the range just once, but it would be the only goal the home team needed in a 1-nil shutout win.
Freshman Coby Dillon knocked in an assist from junior Cooper Bell with just six seconds remaining in the opening half for the eventual game winner.
“Coby has done a really good job for us,” Woodrow Wilson head coach Steve Laraba said. “We threw him around in a lot of different places early, but he has found a home out there on the wing. He is athletic and has some great pace. He is strong for a freshman and he seems to find himself in the right spots which we needed tonight.”
Sitting on the eve of postseason play, the match had a sectional feel with the Black Eagles playing with a defensive mindset.
“I saw a South Charleston team that played compact and really well as a unit. They made stuff really difficult for us,” Laraba said. “We didn’t capitalize on some chances, but this time of year, teams will play like that. They are getting ready for sectionals and we are going to have to learn to win games this way. Even though it wasn’t pretty and there were things that we didn’t do well in the second half, we got out of here with a win. It is actually a good game to have to play before sectionals start.”
Although the Flying Eagles found mostly frustration on their scoring chances, they still dominant on the back end. South Charleston mustered just one scoring chance, but that was cleaned up by senior keeper Nick Gunnoe outside the goal area.
“I thought that we got enough numbers forward to create some chances, but we didn’t over commit and leave ourselves exposed,” Laraba said.
Even though his team lost, Black Eagles head coach Keith Bowles was extremely happy with the play of his team Tuesday.
“This was the best we have played all year,” Bowles said. “We have Riverside Monday and it’s a (sectional) play-in game. If we win it, we have George Washington. If we can take this type of performance to G-Dud then we can try and go to regionals.”
At halftime, Woodrow Wilson honored Gunnoe along with senior teammates Jack Grimmett, Connor Mollohan and Jackson Quattrone.
Entering the season knowing he had some talented players to replace, Laraba stated his four seniors would have to step up and lead his young team.
“They have been fantastic,” Laraba said. “They have been an incredible group of seniors. They have led vocally and by example. They have been really, really good for us. I couldn’t be more proud of them.”
Saturday afternoon, Woodrow Wilson played Huntington to a 2-2 tie. Aiden Bell scored the opening goal for the Flying Eagles in the 25th minute before the Highlanders scored the next two goals. Grimmett evened the match in the 75th minute to preserve the tie.
The Flying Eagles open sectional play at home Tuesday when they host Princeton at Paul Cline Stadium at 6 p.m.
