BECKLEY — It was a dreary, overcast evening at Paul Cline Memorial Sports Complex, but nothing could dampen Noah Carney’s shine as George Washington (18-3-2) downed University (21-0-1) in the semifinals of the WVSSAC Class AAA State Soccer Tournament.
The GW forward helped secure his squad a spot in the state championship game as he booted a goal into the University net during the 58th minute of Friday’s semifinal battle.
“The ball took a bounce and their (UHS) goalkeeper played it out, and I saw our guy had won the first ball. I tried to play into the gap between the center back and right back,” Carney said. “My teammate saw it and sent it to me over the top.”
From there, Carney headed the ball down the field around Hawks’ goalkeeper Tim Bailey before getting another touch and putting a goal in the lower left corner of the net to give the Patriots the advantage.
The play came after a back-and-forth defensive battle, with both teams held scoreless in the first half of play.
“It was a difficult game, and where we gave them advantage was in our own mistakes. At certain moments in the game we didn’t execute,” Hawks coach Dustin Talton said. “That long ball over the top — we didn’t defend it well, we let it bounce. Unfortunately, sometimes those plays decide the game, and tonight it did.”
The goal firmly titled momentum towards the Patriots, who added a second goal via midfielder Matthew Vaughn in the 73rd minute to seal the win. The Hawks managed to avoid the shutout with a goal from midfielder Brock Pickett in the 79th minute, but the effort was too little, too late for UHS.
“We came out here ready to play, but unfortunately it doesn’t always go your way. I just want to focus on what the guys have accomplished this season, and not take away from that,” Talton said. “I’m proud of the guys — a team had to lose tonight, and it was us. I want to give credit to George Washington.”
The GW defense gave one of the most impressive showings of the season, holding a Hawks’ offense averaging five goals per game to just two shots on goal for the evening.
“They punished us when we made our mistakes — we had a couple of lapses, and they capitalized on it, and they didn’t. The result showed,” Hawks captain Joseph Biafora said.
The loss was the first of the year for the Hawks, who entered favored to win after a season that ended with just one draw and twenty-one victories. The Patriots were glad to fill the underdog role, and allowed it to play to their advantage on the pitch.
“We took it and embraced it. It’s not something we get very often,” Carney said. “I think it took a lot of pressure off our guys. It gave us a sense of ease.”
