MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Don’t doubt the free kicks.
“The opportunity will present itself,” University coach Michael Smith said to himself on the sideline as the second half opened up.
And as if he spoke it into existence, that opportunity came a soon after in the 65th minute.
UHS and Morgantown players were packed together at the Mohigans’ goal awaiting a free kick by Jacob Collins, but Collins instead footed a short pass to Justin Parsons who sent a high pass into the crowd. Attempting to get his head on the ball, Riley Nett connected with MHS keeper Carter Cave’s mitts, knocking him down in the process.
Not everyone thought so, however, and Cave was ejected from the game after jawing with the referee. Morgantown coach Sam Snyder was quick to defend his goalkeeper, though.
“Carter thought he was fouled (when he went for the ball) and it popped out of his hands,” Snyder said. “He was mad – as he should be, (the referees) allowed the goal – and he responded by cussing. Because of that, he was ejected. He’s a sophomore so there’s a little grace there that he thought there was no justice. He just did it with more colorful language.
“You never want a ref to be apart of the game, but that’s the human element. You never want them to take ahold of it though, and that’s what happened tonight.”
Prior to the 65th minute, the rivalry sectional game seemed as if it would be decided with a shootout. The clunky first half that saw a combined three shots on goal – two by Caden Carpenter and one by the Hawks’ leading scorer Riley Nett. The highlight of the half was the midfield defense by both the Hawks and the Mohigans.
University came out in the second half with fire behind their shots, topped by an attempted mid-air reversal by Nett that sailed far to the left.
The Mohigans firey attempt to rebound and tie the match failed in the remaining 15 minutes due in part to a strong UHS backline that stymied any shot attempt around the 18-yard line.
Hawks keeper Tim Bailey was also pivotal in the late-game defense, who ended the night with five saves. Albeit a win, Bailey sees what he and his team need to work on moving forward into the sectional finals.
“It’s going to come down to coming in confident and keeping our composure,” Bailey said. “We need to play our game. Once we win, we need to think about who’s next. We can’t slack off because those other teams in the state are getting better when we’re not. We’ve got to put a lot of work in and go over the film to see how they play.
“I’m personally going to focus on my talking ability – I kind of shut down in the second half of the MHS game – and my footwork through the balls. The team needs to focus on transitioning through our system of play and formations – the wingers need to drop back, center-mids need to talk a little bit more and be more spacious and the striker needs to move around.”
University next faces No. 1-seed Buckhannon-Upshur on Thursday to determine who advances to the Region I tournament. Kickoff is slated for 7:30 p.m.
Morgantown seniors say farewell
Nine seniors ended their final season with the Morgantown soccer program in the Section 2 semifinals – a big loss for a young team, but not as bad as one may expect.
“They’re the reason for our success,” Snyder said. They led with their actions and attitude. We thought we could make a good run at states and get there but it just didn’t work out. My guys strove for success and left the field champions. They did everything in their power, nothing against UHS because they’re a good team. They’re so organized in the back and hard to breakdown.
As far as us, we did everything we could. Soccer is soccer – sometimes you can do everything the right way and it won’t go in. If anyone’s to blame I could have done things different tactically that I see in hindsight.”
Hawks flying high
Bailey’s five saves in the sectional semifinal putts him at 69 on the year. He’s faced 86 opponents shots and allowed just 18 (.878 GAA) – one of the best goals against averages in the state.
Riley Nett leads UHS in goals (25), points (55), shots (70) and shots on goal (47). On Tuesday he took four shots and put two on goal.
According to MaxPreps, University is above the national averages of recorded teams in goals per match (3), assists per match (2), shots (325), and goals (62).
Mikky leads Morgantown through first winning season in two years
Ahmad Mikky immigrated to Morgantown prior to last season and played through a steep learning curve. The Mohigans ended the 2018 campaign 7-10-2 after going 8-8-2 in 2017, and in his senior year Mikky led the Mohigans to its first positive record since 2016.
Mikky leaves Morgantown with team highs in goals (20) and points (49). He also had nine assists, second best on the team.
Mikky leaves the Mohigans in good hands, sophomore leader Caden Carpenter (13 G, 13 AST, 39 PTS) and junior Azain Uqaily (8 G, 8 AST, 24 PTS) filling two large gaps.
Up next in Region I
Section 2: The No. 1 seed Buccaneers (15-3-2) are going to be difficult to get around. They’ve logged 99 goals and have only allowed 12.
Section 1: The final score for the John Marshall and Brooke has not been reported yet. The winner will face section leader Wheeling Park.
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