Gallery by Tina Laney
The Oak Hill girls soccer team came to Paul Cline Stadium Tuesday night with a specific goal in mind.
The Red Devils were looking to beat longtime rival Beckley and take the first step in earning home field advantage for the Class AAA Region 3, Section 2 tournament in October.
Oak Hill accomplished its goal thanks to two second half goals from sophomore Jada Wilburn for a 2-1 decision, wiping out three years of frustration in the process.
“We battled it out. We came here to win the home field advantage,” Jada Wilburn said. “We want home field advantage so we can play on our grass. We are not as good on this turf. It has been three years since Oak Hill won here.”
The first 40 minutes belonged to the Flying Eagles in regards to ball possession. The problem for the home squad was it could not find the back of the net.
“We played a little bit tight. Every time we come over here it is a big task, but we moved the ball well in spurts,” Oak Hill head coach George Wilburn said. “That might be my fault a little bit. I kind of played conservative too much, but in the second half we moved some stuff around. We got on the midfield a little bit and put on some more pressure. We tried to kick the ball up the field and it worked. It helped out in the second half.”
After a scoreless first half, Oak Hill earned a corner in the 43rd minute and Wilburn nailed a winner.
“We rushed down the field and got a corner,” Jada Wilburn said. “Normally I can curve corners in, so my dad said curve it in. I put some curve on it and (the keeper) slipped and it rolled in.”
Oak Hill doubled the advantage at the midway point of the second half when a goal kick by Beckley went right to Wilburn who knocked it in just under the crossbar for a 2-0 lead.
“It was a bad goal kick out and Jada was able to knock it down and put a good shot on the frame. It was a good play,” coach Wilburn said. “I am proud of her. She had a lot of responsibility on her out there and she plays tough.”
The euphoria of goal number two did not last long when Beckley answered in under 40 seconds with a goal from Isabella Umberger off an assist for Via Simmons.
It was the only ball that Beckley could slip past Oak Hill keeper Taylor Suttle who was solid between the posts Tuesday.
“Taylor stepped up and made some big plays. There were some long balls she caught,” Wilburn said. “The one ball was just a perfect ball. She put it exactly where (Taylor) couldn’t get it. She was off her line a little bit and it (sneaked) in over her head. Overall she played great.”
Although the Flying Eagles played well in the first 40 minutes, the second half was not quite the same.
“Our passing was really good in the first half. They came out in the second half with a vengeance and we kind of set back and let it happen,” Woodrow Wilson head coach Julie Agnor said. “We held onto the ball too long and they cut down our passing lanes. That is basically what happened on that second half.”
Oak Hill (2-0) will travel to Ripley Saturday for a noon match, while Beckley (0-2) will host Greenbrier East Thursday in another key sectional showdown.
“They are moving in the right direction. We just have some young girls filling in the gaps where we had really hard, solid players. That is one of the hardest things to recover from,” Agnor said. “The girls have got to realize it is going to take all of them. They were used to relying on a couple of players. Now it will take them all.”
