MORGANTOWN, W. Va. — After mother nature rolled through Thursday night — and Parkersburg South finally rolled past an accident on I-79 — the University High boys’ soccer team finally rolled past the Patriots, 3-0.
The start of the game was delayed for more than two hours.
And while the evening at Mylan Pharmaceuticals Stadium turned out to be pleasantly cool, the Hawks offense was red hot, as they drilled a trio of first-half goals on their way to a commanding victory.
University (2-1) dominated possession and 50/50 balls from the opening whistle, and their holding midfielders closed off Patriot (1-2) clearing attempts, so UHS enjoyed playing the majority of the half in their attacking third. Sustained pressure finally resulted in the first goal of the game at the 10-minute mark, when Evan DeMoss was credited with a goal after his strong shot from the 18 deflected off a defender for an own goal and a 1-0 lead.
Patient play on the ball and some creative angle passing kept the Hawks in control and it led to a second tally six minutes later, when Alex Maldonado right-footed a blast from the 18 as well to double the advantage. Then, in the 28th minute, freshman Brady Grubb converted a clever pass from Evan Acciavati to extend it to 3-0. And even though the Park South raised their compete level in the second half, UHS remained steady, calm, and composed in the back to keep their sheet clean.
“We were very pleased with our first half,” coach Michael Smith said. “We’re learning what we need to do to be successful, and we’ve gotten better each game. They are trusting the system, trusting each other. We just need to build on this, and keep it going.”
The Hawks next travel to Ripley at 11 a.m. Saturday for their next match.
Volleyball
Clay-Battelle 3, South Harrison 0
BLACKSVILLE — Caitlynn Patterson had five kills to lead the Cee-Bees to a season-opening win.
The scores were 25-22, 25-17 and 25-21.
Kendal Saul added three service aces and Lydia Moore had five blocks for the Cee-Bees, who host Tygarts Valley at 7 p.m. Tuesday.
