Gallery by Heather Belcher
The mission was clear Tuesday night in Class AAA Region 3 sectional semifinal action on the pitch. Don’t get caught looking ahead to some much anticipated championship rematches.
None of the higher seeds got caught napping.
At Paul Cline Stadium, the Woodrow Wilson boys and girls dispatched Princeton in both contests, while the top-seeded Greenbrier East boys eased past Oak Hill and the Oak Hill girls won a tight battle over the Spartans.
The Beckley boys hit the field first Tuesday at the YMCA Complex and walked away with a 2-nil decision over the Tigers.
The regular season matchup was won handily by the Flying Eagles, but Beckley head coach Steve Laraba had witnessed a similar scenario when his team pulled off a big postseason upset.
“We won the regular season game 4-0 (over Princeton). I reminded these guys how two years ago we went to (Greenbrier) East and took a 4-0 (loss) in the regular season,” Laraba said. “Then we put together a game plan and we were better as a team in the sectional game. We got out of there with a win. We just let them know that that could happen. It was a tough game tonight, but we were very focused and very determined to not let that happen.”
The battle Tuesday was similar to most of the matches this season for Woodrow Wilson who dominated the possessions, but could not find the back of the net in first half.
It was nothing that Laraba did not expect to see.
“It’s sectional tournament time and these are the games that you get. (Princeton head) coach (Robbie) Fix put together a really good game plan. We were frustrated in the first half, but we talked to the guys at halftime about what needed to happen for us to be successful. They took it all in and applied it to the second half,” Laraba explained. “We got a penalty off a good free kick and Jackson (Quattrone) had a nice finish late. I am happy. This time of year you take the wins however they may come.”
Woodrow Wilson finally broke the ice in the 53rd minute after Princeton was called for a foul in the box. Jack Grimmett made good on the penalty kick that was the eventual game winner.
“We needed to be a little more patient when we had the ball. In the first half we were rushing some things. We needed to make space with the ball individually when we had it,” Laraba said. “We wanted to force them to have one or two defenders commit to us and then other spaces and gaps would open up.”
Quattrone gave the Flying Eagles some breathing room with his goal in the 64th minute.
The win Tuesday was the 11th shutout in 16 matches for Woodrow Wilson who will travel to Greenbrier East Thursday for the sectional championship tilt at 6:30 p.m.
“I always want to give full credit to our back four and to Nick Gunnoe with how well they have been all season long. The team as a whole has defended extremely well all season,” Laraba said. “If teams can’t get out of their defensive third then they can’t get a shot on goal. So, the guys as a whole have defended well all season.”
Just over 10 minutes into the girls match, senior Sophie Hall kick-started the Flying Eagles with a goal off a nice assist from London Baker. Hall made it a 2-nil halftime lead when she navigated the Princeton defenders and beat the keeper far post.
“When we came out, we knew what we had to do tonight. We had to pass the ball and move the ball, get it in space and finish our shots,” Woodrow Wilson head coach Julie Agnor said. “The girls are phenomenal passers. The movement on the field is great. Overall we played well tonight.”
Hall secured the hat trick early in the final half thanks to an assist from running mate Mya Wooton before Wooton hit an unassisted goal for a 4-nil lead.
Wooton made it a five-goal advantage on an assist from Ama Ackon-Annan and Hall closed out the scoring with her fourth goal of the match, assisted by Sydney Vaught.
“Princeton played five back tonight. So, we had to figure out how to break into the 18. It took a little time to get our feet under us, but once we did, they found the channels. This is a big boost going into the next game, knowing where to put the ball and making it simple.”
The Greenbrier East boys have had their fair share of postseason heartbreak, but Thursday night the Spartan machine was running in high gear in a 7-0 win over Oak Hill.
Senior striker Chase Mizia led the charge with four goals while Luke Dolin banged in two goals on the opposite side. Dawson Trusty also netted a goal with a deep blast in the opening half.
The result for East is eerily similar to last year when the Spartans took out Princeton in lopsided fashion to open sectional play only to be knocked off by the Flying Eagles in the championship match in Fairlea.
“We are hoping to maintain our strong play and the boys are focused,” Greenbrier East head coach Lucas Lemine said. “They understand the next assignment.”
Last year the Oak Hill and Greenbrier East girls had to go to penalty kicks to decide a winner. This year the Red Devils scored early and made it stand for a 1-nil victory.
Bethany Rosiek netted the only goal of the night with an assist from Kerrisyn Feazell. Oak Hill keeper Taylor Suttle had six saves in the win.
Oak Hill will now travel to Beckley Thursday for a sectional championship rematch with Woodrow Wilson. Last year the Red Devils led at the half before the Flying Eagles scored three second half goals to take the sectional crown.
“It will definitely be a closer game against Oak Hill. I expect them to cram the box full,” Agnor said. “They are at a little bit of a disadvantage coming our way though. They play on a more narrow field and we are a wide team. That plays into our skill set.”
