BECKLEY, W.Va. — Each game in the West Virginia Class AAA girls’ soccer state playoffs outside of regionals was determined by one goal, and the title game was no different.
With Hedgesville leading 1-0 at halftime, Morgantown rallied for a three-shot combo in the second half to defeat the Eagles (17-2), 3-2.
Hannah Horn put the Eagles on the board first off a dish by Tal Roppolo with nearly 23 minutes left in the half. From then on, both teams battled tough possession.
The second half proved different for the Mohigans (18-2-1), as Anna Iquinto sank the tying goal on a cross as the final 40 minutes of play opened. Shortly after, Michaela August put in a free kick under the 30-minute mark to take a 2-1 lead. The Mohigans’ final goal came with under 10 minutes in the game when senior striker Sammie Brown netted a penalty kick. From there, Morgantown played a tough 9 minutes, only giving up one goal with 4:16 left on the clock.
“It doesn’t even feel real,” Iquinto said. “We worked so hard to get to this point and I’m proud of (us). Our defense was tight and once we learned how to get past their backline (it was ours).”
The win secures second-year coach Stirlin Rivers’ first AAA state title in Morgantown. After falling to Wheeling Park in last year’s Region I meeting, Rivers made it his mission in the offseason to change how the Mohigans trained and scheduled their games.
“The whole preseason training we had was completely different,” Rivers said. “We had a good program before the season (that worked on speed and agility). When you look at the team, the injuries we had were very small — nothing that (ended a player’s season). Everyone is in shape and fit, so I think that was the first I tried to change.
“I also reduced the amount of games we played. Some we didn’t need. We were playing three games a week and that was too much for the kids. (In doing that) it gave them time to rest and recover and I believe because of that (it gave them more energy in games). The game in Wheeling Park (for example), to do that in the second half at 100 percent (shows) the changes we made helped a lot.”
Late goal jitters
Although Hedgesville netted a goal on a corner in the final minutes, it wasn’t enough momentum to force a tie on Morgantown.
“I was getting really nervous,” Iquinto said, “I didn’t think we would lose, but I was nervous.”
Already thinking about next year
Although they’ve won their first state title in eight years, Iquinto, a junior, and her team are already looking toward next season.
“We have big expectations for next year, but at the same time we’re losing really good seniors. But we’ll stay strong and (hopefully) do it again.”
