MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — In this topsy-turvy and entirely unpredictable of high school sports seasons, it’s nice to know that some things never change — like the intensity of each Morgantown-University High rivalry game, no matter the sport.
Boys’ soccer was certainly no exception Monday night at Mylan Pharmaceuticals Stadium.
After 80 minutes of furious one-on-one battles and several counter punches between two very good — and very motivated — teams, the 1-1 final score seemed more like a win-win than a tie.
A disastrous start nearly derailed the Mohigans in the first 30 seconds of the match, as a miscommunication in the back of the defense ended up — as it so often does for the Hawks — on the foot of UHS striker Riley Nett. The senior scorer easily deposited the ball into the vacant goal for a devastatingly quick 1-0 UHS advantage.
“Before the game, I told the guys that in games like this, it’s often the first big mistake that makes the difference,” MHS coach Sam Snyder said, “and then the ball ends up in the back of our net almost immediately. I guess I jinxed us.”
Hoping to build on that fortunate bounce, University’s patented ball pressure and strong build-up from the back produced several promising chances in the next ten minutes, although none resulted in quality attempts. But an adjustment from the Mohigans forced the Hawks to try to play over the top with long clearing balls, and these were deftly handled all game long by Braxton Johnson and the rest of the MHS defenders. As a result, the midfield was open, and MHS stayed connected well, allowing for strong, steady build-up from the back for most of the following ten minutes, and leading to the tying goal.
An angled pass from senior Azain Uqaily found the foot of James Percifield, who shielded a defender, found some space and hit a low bullet that found the corner of the UHS net. Even if the original shot had only hit the post, the rangy sophomore collected the rebound and buried it anyway, knotting the score at 1-1.
It was the first goal during regulation — not during the penalty kick phase during the playoffs — that UHS had surrendered since last season. However, that staunch UHS defensive reputation seemed lost on Morgantown, as the Mohigans would go on to control play for most of the remainder of the first half and well into the second, mostly by repelling UHS’s deep-ball counter attacks and maintaining the upper hand on 50-50 balls, especially in the middle third.
In the last 20 minutes of play, the intensity ratcheted up several notches as both teams pressed for the go-ahead goal. As is often the case when teams haven’t been playing steadily — Hawks coach Michael Smith considered this game to be “like a season opener” for both teams — the finishing touch on offensive chances and set pieces just weren’t there. Several corner kicks sailed through dangerous areas untouched, and direct kicks on fouls from prime scoring areas were squandered. The Hawks might’ve had the better of the chances down the stretch, but the end result was well-earned and well-received by both coaches.
“Man, that first ten minutes was rough,” Snyder recalled. “They are, by far, the best pressure team I’ve ever seen. So, for us to find a way to work through some of that pressure, and battle through our nerves in a rivalry game that some of our new guys have never experienced, and come back to earn a draw? We’re happy to be playing again, knocking some rust off, and definitely happy with a draw tonight.”
Smith had a similar take on the outcome of the game.
“Sam had a real good plan in place, and we played with some jitters tonight,” Smith explained. “We lost our composure a little when we weren’t able to do what we wanted, but it’s nice to have a lot to work on while still earning a good result against a quality team. We’ll take it, and get better from here.”
Morgantown prevailed 4-0 in the JV match, with Wyatt Abbitt, Eli Arthurs, Yazan Hamif and Ali Mohammed scoring the goals. Ben Meyer and Hunter Schaefer kept the sheet clean for the Mohigans.
The Hawks travel to Belmont, Ohio, on Wednesday to face Union Local. MHS hosts Weir at 6 p.m. Tuesday.
