By Josh Strope
The Intelligencer
WHEELING, W.Va. — There is something off-putting about a 2-0 lead in soccer.
Sometimes it can be too much to overcome. Sometimes it lights the perfect fire needed to play your best.
The Wheeling Park girls’ soccer team was the owner of that 2-0 lead heading into halftime of Class AAA Region I final on Saturday. For Morgantown, it was an example of the latter as the Mohigans roared back to win 4-3.
The Mohigans scored three goals in a seven minutes, tacked on another and then hung on to knock off Wheeling Park and earn a spot in next week’s state tournament in Beckley.
“We had played this team twice, we tied the first game and won the second game convincingly,” MHS coach Stirlin Rivers said. “These ladies, I tell them I have have more confidence in them than they have in themselves. We had the ability to do something like this in one half.
“We have the players and it was such a joy. I didn’t really have to motivate them because they were so upset with themselves, thinking we gave away that second one. They were already fired up. They showed energy, fight, desire and passion and were able to score four goals in one half against a great Wheeling Park team.”
Abbey Anderson played one of her best games in a Patriots (17-2-3) uniform.
She broke a scoreless tie in the 29th minute as she deflected a Graceylyn Hanna corner kick into the net for an early 1-0 lead.
Exactly six minutes later, she doubled the lead, stealing the ball from a Morgantown defender and slipping it past Mohigans goalie Jessica Jones.
The excited Patriots entered the locker room on a high and came out looking like a confident bunch.
But Morgantown had other ideas.
“This one is really tough, especially for this senior group,” Wheeling Park coach Carrie Hanna said. “We really thought we could get the fairy tale ending, especially going into the locker room with a 2-0 lead, even though a 2-0 lead at any level of soccer is a dangerous lead.
“I thought we came out second half ready to take the game, but a couple of those opportunities didn’t fall and Morgantown got life.”
That life started by Sammie Brown.
Brown’s laser of a free kick took a tricky hop on Wheeling Park goalie Jillian Blair, who was able to block the shot, but the rebound came to Anna Iquinto to cut the lead in half.
Five minutes later, it was Iquinto again and the Mohigans were back in business.
Then it was Brown’s turn. Her shot from 20 yards out went high and off the bottom of the crossbar, just above Blair’s oustretched hands and momentum had turned sharply in the favor of the Mohigans.
“We felt like this was how we wanted to start, but they got that goal on the rebound and we froze,” Hanna said. “You can’t do that in a game, and when we froze, we froze again and it kept happening until we were able to get that goal and were able to look confident and comfortable again, but by then it was too late.”
Morgantown’s Alyssa Weaver deflected in a corner kick in the 62nd minute for an insurance goal. It was needed.
Emma Delk scored late to give the Patriots life, but the Mohigans’ defense was able to hold on and earn a trip to Beckley.
