MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — As the Preston and University High boys’ soccer teams prepared for their Region I, Section 2 semifinal match-up at chilly, damp Mylan Pharmaceuticals Stadium on Monday night, the pregame question of the evening revolved around the first two meetings between the traditional rivals.
Would this be a Hawks blowout — similar to the 9-1 season opener — or a tight defensive struggle like the 3-0 UHS win like in the second meeting?
As it turned out, Monday’s 6-0 University victory might best be characterized as a little bit of both, since the lopsided final score belied the closely contested play during long stretches from the much-improved Knights. But make no mistake, this was a strong, dominant performance from the talented Hawks, who accomplished their singular objective: Survive and advance.
University (7-2-1) pressed the advantage offensively from the opening whistle, and after a aggressive point-blank save at the top of the box from athletic Knights keeper JT Flores, another dangerous flurry in the 4th minute produced the Hawks’ first tally. Striker extraordinaire Riley Nett was fouled in the box, then calmly converted the penalty kick.
UHS continued to slice the field in half with solid midfield play, and the relentless pressure produced another Nett goal in the 19th minute. The productive senior ran onto a through ball, dribbled past the charging Flores, and deposited a controlled slow roller into the open net to double the Hawks’ advantage.
Shortly after, fellow senior forward J.M. Jones was dragged down in the box for yet another penalty kick, and his powerful right-footed rocket zipped into the center of the goal to increase the lead to 3-0 at the break.
Surprisingly, it was the visiting Knights (4-13-2) who opened the second half as the better side, forcing turnovers with good ball pressure and keeping play in the middle third, although the UHS back wall kept scoring threats to a minimum.
In soccer, however, there is no substitute for a quality striker, and once again, a double flash of brilliance in the span of five minutes from Nett put the game away for the Hawks.
At the 56th minute mark, the senior midfielder-turned-scoring-machine gathered a ball, pushed it left to earn some space away from a defender, and slipped a one-touch left foot under the diving Flores and into the far corner of the net for his hat trick tally. Then, in the 61st minute, he turned in a spectacular goal by controlling a too-tall cross at the edge of the box on the left, dribbling straight away from the end line past two defenders, and then, turning in from 23 yards out, blasted a right-foot just beyond Flores’ — who’d make 11 saves on the night — outstretched hands and in off the right post.
“Quite frankly, while it was an amazing goal,” said UHS coach Michael Smith, “the truth is I’ve seen him take and make that shot in practice, so nothing surprises me anymore with Riley. Heck, there are times I’m surprised when he doesn’t score. He’s just a very gifted striker.”
As impressive as Nett’s evening was, the UHS goal that brought the house down, brought the Hawks’ bench on its feet — and brought a tear to Smith’s eye — was turned in by senior Dayne Gibson in the 78th minute on a big right foot shot from 20 yards out.
“He’s been our back-up keeper all year,” Smith explained, “and he got back into soccer this season after a long break, mostly so he could be with his teammates. He’s been the consummate teammate, just a great kid, and you saw how the team reacted. I’m telling you, that was one of the most beautiful moments of my soccer career. I’m so happy for him.”
For PHS coach Josh Russell, the final whistle was a bittersweet moment for him and his seniors — Justin Chase, Harley Hall, Max Alvarado, Austin Conner, Bryson Blosser, Andy Forman, Zack Sisler, Caiden Johnson, JD Barker, JT Flores, Lucas Savage and Jacob Blosser.
“We put it all out there against one of the premier teams in the state,” he said, “but they were able to bury their chances, while we couldn’t. But I simply couldn’t be prouder of my team and my senior class. We improved so much this year, and I can’t say enough about the effort they gave all season. They were a great group of kids, and we’re gonna miss every one of them.”
The Hawks look to secure the sectional title at 6 p.m. Wednesday at home against Buckhannon-Upshur.
