MORGANTOWN — The University High boys’ soccer team has been a unstoppable freight train this season and is headed into the state tournament this weekend with two goals — finishing the year undefeated and winning the first state championship in program history.
The only blemish on the Hawks’ schedule was a 2-2 tie with Bridgeport on Oct. 9. UHS finished the rest of the slate 21-0 and will take on George Washington on Friday in the state semifinals at Beckley’s Paul Cline Memorial Sports Complex.
But this game has a little more fuel behind it than what most would expect.
It’s a revenge game for the Hawks — the Patriots knocked them off in the state title game two years ago. But G.W. was also a victim in UHS’s unblemished mark this season, a 2-1 loss Sept. 15.If you ask the Hawks, they’d even say that the Patriots are more despised than any other team in the state.
“This game will most likely mean more to me than any other game I have played while at UHS,” senior forward Joseph Biafora said. “The negative feelings I have toward G.W., along with the peers at my school, have made the rivalry between us huge. We hate G.W. more than we hate [Morgantown] and no one will disagree with that.”
Biafora, a West Virginia commit, had a little taste of redemption against the Patriots in the meeting this year, scoring his 100th-career goal.
He’s also been a critical cog in the Hawks’ well-oiled machine. As a team, UHS is averaging 5.2 goals per game and allowed just 12 goals all season.
Biafora scored 49 goals of his own — scoring in every game — and assisted on 16 others. He has 126 goals in his career.
The lethal combo of a stellar offense and stout defense put the Hawks in position to make school history.
“I love these guys — I couldn’t have asked for a better senior season,” Biafora said. “It’s been fun, exciting and also been nerve wracking. It’s been a roller coaster of emotions but we’ve always come out on top and succeeded. When everyone is on the same page and we are clicking, we are just an unstoppable force that teams should be scared of.”
Biafora had his moment in the sun during the postseason in his career. He scored a game-winning goal in overtime against Parkersburg as a sophomore in the 2016 state semis.
Still, the Patriots got the last laugh in the title game and Biafora wants to assure that will not happen again.
“They kept us from winning a state championship two years ago and that’s what my team plans on doing this year,” he said. “It’s all or nothing. There’s no second chances after this so I know me and all the other 15 seniors will do the same.”
Kickoff will be at 5 p.m. and the winner will face the winner of the Hedgesville vs. Hurricane match, which will be played after.
The other state tournament brackets include Wheeling Park vs. George Washington and Hurricane vs. Hedgesville in Class AAA girls; East Fairmont vs. Charleston Catholics and Winfield vs. Robert C. Byrd in Class AA/A boys; and Oak Glen vs. Charleston Catholics and Robert C. Byrd vs. Winfield in Class AA/A girls.
