There is always a special buzz around Beckley this time of year when the state soccer tournament comes to the YMCA Paul Cline Memorial Soccer Complex.
The excitement has reached a fever pitch this year because the hometown Flying Eagles are among the final four teams in contention for boys title.
Beckley has not played for a state soccer championship since 2010.
“There is definitely a lot of excitement, but it also a lot of workman-like attitude,” Beckley head coach Steve Laraba said. “These guys are still very hungry to win games and hopefully win this title. They understand, especially since they are playing such a good team, that there are things that we have to make sure we are doing well.”
Beckley earned the No. 2 seed in the state tournament and will matchup with No. 3 seed Wheeling Park around noon Thursday at Paul Cline Stadium. That match will follow the semifinal opener at 10 a.m. between No. 1 seed Hurricane and No. 4 seed Martinsburg.
The Flying Eagles entered postseason play as the Region 3 favorite in a section known for crazy upsets and region dominated by George Washington.
Add in a lack of postseason experience for some and a trip to the state tournament was far from a given for the Raleigh County boys.
“It is hard. We start three sophomores and some of the juniors haven’t always been starters. One of our seniors hasn’t always been a starter who starts now,” Laraba said. “It can be difficult to adjust to that and the weight of the moment can get to people. It doesn’t seem to affect them very much.”
A good portion of the Beckley (16-2-2) success has come via a stout defense through ball possession and a lightning quick back line consisting of junior starters Tyler Radford, Jackson Gray and Jackson Schroder. Jonathan Scott adds depth and Vince Umberger is the defensive midfielder.
The Flying Eagles have 13 clean sheets among their 16 wins, including a shutout in all three postseason matches.
“Their defense is very good. Their back-line clears it really quick. It comes to them and they send it back forward,” George Washington head coach Erik Engle said after the regional setback.
Wheeling Park earned a 2-1 decision against Beckley in the final match of the regular season also played at Paul Cline Stadium. Even though his team was victorious, Park head coach, Mario Julian admitted his team was in a totally different match against the Flying Eagles.
“They possess the ball really good. They probably do that better than any team that we have played and they slowed our transition down,” Julian said. “We have scored a lot of goals this year and we only got two today. We average about four or five, so it was tough sledding out there today.”
As the saying goes, defense wins championships. If Beckley is going to hoist the championship trophy this weekend, defense will be the key.
“The back three has to be good. I trust them to do their job,” Laraba said. “I think the key defensively is all 11 players doing what they need to do. The more we can defend in our attacking third and our attacking half of the field, the better.”
Beckley has a myriad of scoring weapons to accent its defense led by junior striker Coby Dillon who has scored in all three postseason wins. Ali Farghaly, Ayden Stafford, Hagen Hall and Tyler Snyder have postseason netters as well.
Wheeling Park (20-3) will counter with two dynamic scoring threats in senior Tresz McLeod and junior Wilson Hanna. Mcleod, who scored the game-winner in the first meeting, has 38 goals and 18 assists on the year. Hanna has 27 winners, along with 13 assists.
“We have to move the ball. This is a team with some very good players all over the field. They have three exceptional players and eight very good players;” Laraba said. “If we are taking extra touches or if we feel like we have all of the time in the world, they are a team that will chase you down and not make it easy on you. We have to play quickly, but not feel rushed.”
The AAA boys championship match is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Saturday.
