MORGANTOWN – The Morgantown High School girls’ soccer team will continue the quest for their third consecutive Class AAA state soccer championship on Thursday at Paul Cline Sports Complex in Beckley.
The top-seeded Mohigans (17-2-2) will battle the No. 4 George Washington Patriots (17-4-1) at 5:00 p.m. Thursday. The winner will earn a spot in the Class AAA state championship game on Saturday afternoon against the winner of the second Class AAA semifinal between No. 2 Parkersburg South and No. 3 Washington.
MHS second-year head coach Bri Frontuto says she and her team feel more comfortable coming in this weekend after her first experience at the state tournament last season.
“I think anything new, life or sports, can be overwhelming and nerve-wracking,” she said. “So, last year, I went to the state tournament without knowing what to expect and, in my mind, felt like we were underdogs even with the #1 seed. This year, I feel a bit more comfortable, know what to expect, and have a rhythm for myself and the team in place, and this year, our roster has grown a bit compared to last year.”
MHS has enjoyed an all-around effort this season, from its defense to its attack, led by the three-headed dragon of seniors Ariana Borneo, Lilly Staples, and junior Ella Miller.
The three have combined to score 58 of the Mohigans 89 goals this season and 41 assists. Miller leads the way with 21 goals, contributing ten assists. Staples has netted 18 goals and dished nine assists, while Borneo has scored 19 goals while sharing the ball 22 times in 2024.
Miller scored a hat trick in less than ten minutes against Bridgeport in the Region I title game to help propel MHS to the state semifinals.
“We are solid all around this year, but I think, as with most games both last year and this year, high school soccer is won in the midfield, and we have a pretty solid one,” Frontuto said. “We have to dictate the pace of the game. It adds a layer to our game that only a few teams have matched or outdone this season.”
Despite having meetings the previous few years, MHS and George Washington did not play in the 2024 regular season, so it will be a different scenario come Thursday evening for Frontuto and her squad, who are used to seeing teams before meeting in Beckley.
“I like that we are playing George Washington in the first round since we did not play them this year,” she said. “I am a pretty firm believer that it is hard to face a team more than once, so to start with one we haven’t seen yet takes a little bit of pressure off and helps the girls stay sharp mentally rather than the effect playing a team more than once might have.”
The Patriots are led by senior Deryn Doamekpor, who scored 17 goals this season.
“They have a solid, physical center forward that leads their team in scoring and another tall player who creates for them as an outside forward and some in the midfield as well,” Frontuto said. “Typically, it can be dangerous if they find that center forward.
“All three teams play pretty directly to their strong players, so it will be interesting to see what we do to pressure and keep their productivity low.”
The Mohigans and Patriots will kick off from Paul Cline Sports Complex in Beckley on Thursday at 5:00 p.m. in the semifinals of the 2024 WVSSAC girls’ state soccer tournament.
