Photos by Brian Ferguson
OAK HILL – Anytime Oak Hill and Beckley lineup across from each other, there’s always a little extra sauce on the spaghetti.
Tuesday night in the boys soccer clash between the two old rivals, intensity covered the field like the evening fog that rolled in after dark.
“That is what all of these sectional games do. That is the beauty of high school soccer. It is intense. Their friends get to see them play and these games are fun,” Woodrow Wilson head coach Steve Laraba said.
In a match that was highlighted by aggressive play, including six yellow cards, penalty kicks and a man advantage for the final 12 minutes, the Red Devils outlasted the Flying Eagles for a 2-1 win.
“I liked the way the boys played tonight. I think we have sort of figured out who plays where and what is best for the team,” Oak Hill head coach Lenny Keavney said. “I don’t think that we should have to react to what other teams have. I think we have the personnel where they have to react to what we do. I just have to trust the boys and let them play. This group is the cream.”
After dropping the sectional final on the same field last year, Woodrow Wilson was hoping for some revenge, as well as a leg up in the battle for home field advantage this year.
“It’s frustrating. I thought we played OK tonight. We were a little short-handed but that is the name of the game these days,” Laraba said. “I am proud of the guys for creating the chances that we did after going down by two goals. They worked hard. We just have to rest up and regroup tomorrow and be ready for (Greenbrier) East on Thursday.
Adding to the frustration on the night for the Flying Eagles was the fact that one of the team’s leading goal scorers, Carson Eckley, was unavailable to play.
“It is very tough, and we didn’t have a lot of time to prepare for it because the circumstances behind him not being available were questionable,” Laraba said. “We found out late Friday, but the guys stepped up and worked hard considering.”
Oak Hill broke the ice with just over 12 minutes to play in the first half.
After coming up short on several set pieces earlier in the half, Ty Wilburn took a different approach as Eli Calloway approached requesting the ball.
“Eli ran over to the short. If it’s there, we play it. If not and we can suck one of the defenders out, then he goes back and gets in the mix,” Keavney explained. “Eli was available and they played it. We all have good center-backs, so the reason to play short is to have the defense react to what you are doing. Maybe you can sneak something in.”
Calloway’s blast found its mark just inside the far post to give the home team a 1-0 lead that stood at halftime.
Although they trailed at the break, the Flying Eagles had frustrated the Red Devils with their play along the back line.
“Woodrow has a lot more to their team than people will give them credit for. I think their players do a good job of excepting their roles and responsibilities and they play well,” Keavney said. “I think the teams that we are playing have really good defenders. They have good back lines. If you look at the four teams in the section, there aren’t going to be very many corners scored.”
The intense play carried over to the second half where both teams were assessed fouls inside the penalty boxes.
Jacob Mrozek gave Oak Hill a 2-0 advantage on a penalty kick before Hayden Johnson answered for the Flying Eagles almost 90 seconds later.
A second yellow card against an Oak Hill player put the Red Devils one man down for the final 12 minutes, but Woodrow could not take advantage and even the match.
“We had a couple of chances there, but Oak Hill played well. They got down a man and they bunkered in and we knew that was going to happen,” Laraba said. “That was the smart thing to do. We just needed to take a little bit better care of the ball, unfortunately, we weren’t able to.
Coming off a loss to Greenbrier East last Thursday and not their best effort Saturday against Ripley, Keavney was happy with what he saw from his team.
“If we could bottle what we did today before they played and drink it every time we play, we will be fine,” Keavney said. “We played Saturday and when one would go one way, his teammate would go another way. Sometimes it is hard to be on the same wavelength.”
The win for Oak Hill keeps them firmly in the picture to secure the top seed and homefield advantage for sectional play in just over a month.
“I think in years past we didn’t put a lot of importance in whether we win or lose in the regular season. To win the section, you almost have to win the regular season section. We still have a game against Greenbrier East to avenge that loss and I wouldn’t count Princeton out with the job (head coach) Robby (Fix) does there,” Keavney said.
“We just have to have the attitude that we have beat them before and we will keep beating them until they can prove they can beat us. We will just keep doing what we are doing. There are not many teams that have the answer to what we can put up front and what we can attack with through the middle.”
Oak Hill is back home to host Princeton next Tuesday, while Woodrow Wilson hosts Greenbrier East Thursday at Paul Cline Stadium.