Hoping to sustain the magic after upsetting defending state champion Greenbrier East in Fairlea Tuesday, Princeton was where it wanted to be at halftime, tied 0-0 with top-seeded Beckley.
But the clock struck midnight 46 minutes into Thursday’s sectional title game.
Ishmael Fayiah’s goal in the 46th minute proved to be the deciding score as Beckley’s defense led the way in a 1-0 victory, giving the Flying Eagles the Class AAA Region 3, Section 2 crown.
With the win Beckley advances to the regional round where it will face George Washington – which beat South Charleston 7-1 in the Section 1 championship – on Thursday in Charleston.
While the Flying Eagles mustered just one goal, that number didn’t accurately portray just how dominant they were on offense putting Princeton keeper Lucas Monaghan to the test. They did so with an astounding 14 shots on goal.
“I mean, I was really happy with how we played,” Beckley head coach Steve Laraba said. “I thought that we were dynamic on the ball and off the ball. I thought that we attacked their wings very well and we were in a little early on the ball on some of those crosses in the first half and we talked about that their keeper made some great saves. And then you know, we just continued to do more of the same in the second half and you know, it’s playoff soccer. Sometimes 1-0 Is what you’re gonna get even when you put like 14 shots on frame. I don’t think we’ve done that in a long time.”
To Monaghan’s credit he racked up 13 saves and withstood the point blank barrage the Flying Eagles sent his way.
“We knew what they were doing,” Princeton head coach Erick Burgess said. “Lucas played an amazing game, I don’t think he could’ve played any better. Our backs were fantastic tonight and we knew what we were coming into and they bring a lot of pressure. We game planned for that, we just never could get any offense going off of it.”
Scoreless at the intermission, Laraba encouraged his players to keep their heads up heading into the locker room. The positive vibes and preparation paid off early in the second half.
The one time the Flying Eagles were able to exploit Monaghan they did so by preying on tendency, finding an opening in the right situation.
“The guys kept doing what they were supposed to do,” Laraba said. “And honestly, it wasn’t the cleanest hit that Ish got on that ball. But we talked about the fact that the keeper is going to cheat off the near post at one point like he’s going to cheat off of it if we we keep playing those balls, and we need to recognize it and the keeper cheated. And then your post is open so and we took advantage of it.”
While the score remained close, the game never had the feel of a tightly contested one late, mostly due to Beckley’s defense which rarely allowed the Tigers to cross into their attacking third. As a result they finished with just one shot.
“They attacked the ball really well and we knew that when we watched film on them,” Burgess admitted. “They pressed very, very well and anytime we’d win the ball from them they were right on top of us every time and we knew that. But they’re a great team and that’s what great teams do.”
“I think the their game plan was to keep the ball in front of them and to keep it as close as they could for as long as they could,” Laraba said. “They did a good job with it. I mean, they were attacking with one at times and so we just needed to make sure that we stayed focused because you do have several very athletic and dangerous players if they’re allowed to to get loose and I thought our guys did an excellent job with that.”
Thursday’s regional championship pits the Flying Eagles against familiar foe in George Washington, a perennial contender which has dominated the region over the last decade. A win will send the Flying Eagles to the state tournament which will be held in Beckley in two weeks.
“I think that we are in a good spot right now,” Laraba said. “And you know as we saw with this game, no matter who you play in the postseason, it’s going to be a tough, hard game that we have to be focused on. And we’re just going to prepare for next Thursday.”
Email: tylerjackson@lootpress.com
