Morgantown girls’ soccer team defeats University 3-0 in sectional semifinals

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MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — As if the Morgantown High and University rivalry needed any more juice, Tuesday’s Region I, Section 2 girls’ soccer semifinal match at Pony Lewis Field included one more vital description: Elimination game.

In a well-played, physical battle, Morgantown — behind Anna Iquinto’s hat trick — earned a 3-0 victory and a berth to Thursday’s sectional final.

In high-stakes circumstances, usually the team that capitalizes on mistakes is the one that prevails. The Mohigans (16-2-1) pounced on their first big chance early. In the third minute, a lazy cross floated through the penalty area, and Iquinto ran it down and sneaked a left-footed shot from a sharp angle and found the back of the net.

To their credit, the Hawks (12-7-1) responded well to the adversity and counter attacked effectively throughout the first half. However, Morgantown’s calm, collected defense jump-started its offense with seamless connection through the midfield.

UHS goalkeeper Lizzy Edwards was solid — finishing with 12 saves — but she had no chance on Iquinto’s second goal in the 27th minute. The junior stopped a long ball at the top of the box, dribbled left around two defenders to open a window, then crushed a left-footed rocket off the crossbar and in.

The Hawks put together their best offensive push at the tail end of the half, earning a late corner kick, which led to a dangerous shot that also struck the crossbar. This one bounced straight up, though, where MHS senior goalkeeper Jessica Jones could soar high above heavy traffic to secure the ball.

In the second half, Morgantown maintained its defensive shape and continued to dominate possession despite the Hawks’ desperation.

Inevitably, as more UHS midfielders joined the attack, a Mohigans’ quick counter finally presented off a long ball from senior midfielder Sammie Brown. It led to Iquinto scoring her third goal of the night and, ultimately, put the game away.

Not bad for a player who’s naturally right-footed.

“Yeah, I used to be almost all right-footed,” Iquinto smiled after the win, “but I knew I had to be better with both feet, so I just kept working on it. It always feels good to hit one well and have it go in off the crossbar feels even better.”

UHS coach Graham Peace credited the Mohigans with an opposing coach’s best compliment.

“They were the better team tonight,” he said. “It was a very physical game, but their technical skill was very evident and it made a difference. We’ll support MHS, because they’re a great team from our city that is clearly good enough to win a state championship. I don’t want tonight’s outcome to take anything away from the great season we had this year, especially our tremendous senior class (Kaitlyn Aucremanne, Kara Lobban, Madison Wesolowsky, Isabella Bowers, Kassidy Wolfe, Talia Knicely and Tara Hammack). I’m so proud of them . They left it all on the field tonight.”

MHS coach Stirlin Rivers believed that Iquinto’s quick first goal was the key.

“We stressed this all week that scoring early makes us very hard to beat,” he explained. “It raises our confidence level and puts the other team back on their heels.

“I thought we were very secure in our play in the back, and it set us up for our possession game very well. Moving forward, we know we need to keep our play simple, depend on our central midfield play, let the ball do the work and then finish a little better. If we shoot to corners more, we’ll score more.”