MORGANTOWN — It was a tale of two halves for the University High School boys’ soccer team on Thursday night as Wheeling Park visited Baker’s Ridge for a matchup of OVAC foes.
Despite going down 2-0 in the first half of the game, the Hawks came out of the locker room at the break as a different team and gave the Patriots all they could handle, coming inches shy of an equalizing goal after scoring their first just seven minutes into the second half.
“That second half was what we were looking for from our team,” UHS head coach Michael Smith said. “We put pressure on the back line and were able to create chances. I challenged them at halftime to create that and to their credit, they found something they’ve been lacking the last few games and something clicked in that second half. A couple of bounces different and the game may have gone the other way.”
The opening 10 minutes saw both teams with the ball on offense and with some chances in dangerous areas. The Patriots settled into the game well midway through the half and began to find open space with passes over the top of the UHS defense and down either sideline.
With 25 minutes until halftime, a foul inside the WP 18-yard box resulted in a penalty kick for the Patriots that Tresz McCleod buried into the right corner to open the scoring and give his team a 1-0 lead.
UHS didn’t back down after giving up the goal though, and pushed for an equalizer over the course of the next 10 minutes of play.
However, after UHS sophomore keeper JR Abraham made a nice diving stop to his right from a shot outside the area, the ball rebounded to the foot of a WP attacker and into the net, doubling the visitors’ lead with 15 minutes to go before halftime.
WP entered the break leading 2-0 and had been the better team at that point of the game, but Smith challenged his players at halftime and they responded.
Just seven minutes into the second half, the Hawks cut the lead in half off of a free kick that was sent into the box by senior defender Daniel Kaddar. A crowd of players jumped for the ball and it was difficult to see exactly who it came off of, but it seemed that Hawk midfielder Davion Huckaby got a slight touch on the ball to redirect it into the net.
Inspired by their opener, the Hawks continued to push for an equalizer and nearly found it from a corner kick. This time it was Kaddar on the end of the pass, heading the ball to the right corner of the goal, but WP keeper Gavin Border made an incredible diving save to his right to deny Kaddar, and the Hawks, the tying goal.
The next 15 minutes would go scoreless, but not without some good chances on goal.
At the 11:53 mark, a handball from a UHS defender inside the box gave WP another penalty kick, which McCleod buried again for his second, WP’s third, goal of the game. The Hawks would fall short 3-1.
“We lost to them by the same score last year in Wheeling, and it was a completely different feeling,” Smith said. “We felt like we were dominated in that loss last year, but this one we felt like we were right there with them and if the ball bounces a few different ways the result may be different also. I’m proud of the effort.”
The Hawks will return home on Saturday to host Preston at noon.
