MORGANTOWN, W. Va. — The Morgantown High girls’ soccer team used strong ball pressure to establish possession in their attacking third throughout the first half Tuesday and took down rival University 7-0 at Pony Lewis Field.
The Hawks (6-4) came into the match riddled with injuries, many of the season-ending variety, so MHS (6-2) was able to control play, and a series of terrific finishing strikes led to a solid 5-0 halftime lead.
In the 13th minute, MHS junior Cloe Ratliff turned sharply at the edge of the box and slid a left-footed shot across the goal into the opposite corner for a 1-0 lead.
Two minutes later, junior Megan Wolfarth earned some free space to her left with a controlled touch and then bombed a left boot bullet from 25-yards out that dipped just under the crossbar to double the lead.
Georgia Blake then added to the advantage with another lovely right-footed finish off the crossbar and in from just inside the 18.
“We were hyped up, as always for UHS, and we wanted to work hard, pressure hard, and win the ball back as soon as we lost it,” MHS head coach Stirlin Rivers said. “We did our job, stuck to the plan, and I continue to be pleased with how we are finishing this year. We’ve been calm with the ball, with our heads up, and the quality has been there. If we can play this way every night, we’ll give ourselves a good chance to win every time out.”
In the 34th minute, yet another MHS junior, forward Zofia Sabolsky, scooped up a turnover in front and calmly buried it for a 4-0 lead, and a minute later, sophomore Gracie Brown converted a nifty pass from freshman Riley Lafferty with a 15-yard power shot just over the outstretched hands of UHS keeper Rachel Works.
Up 5-0, the Mohigans kept up the pressure in the second half, but some fine goaltending from Hawks junior Paige Hammack (who finished with seven second-half saves) kept MHS from adding to their lead until the 63rd minute, when Brown snapped in a loose ball in the box following a corner kick. Ariana Borneo potted the final goal of the night four minutes from the final horn with a big left foot from 20 yards out.
After the match, UHS coach Graham Peace was effusive in his praise for both teams, starting with the Mohigans.
“They are really good, really fun to watch,” he smiled. “Well coached, nice style of play, and they turned in some high quality goals. For us, with a boatload of starters out, and a few players making their varsity debut, I was incredibly proud of our girls. Our goals were to play hard the whole game, and to stay positive, and we did just that, and represented our school with pride. In games like this, the learning process can really accelerate, and a perfect example was Paige, who had played a really great half. There are always positives, and we’ll focus on those moving forward.”
