MORGANTOWN – The MHS boys soccer team (7-6-5) hosted the Parkersburg Big Reds (10-7-2) on Tuesday night at Pony Lewis Field. The Mohigans trailed 2-1 throughout the second half until junior Riley Brabson scored the equalizer with eight seconds left in the game to earn his team a hard-fought draw against a strong PHS side.
The game opened with both teams going back and forth down the field. The pace of play was established early on and the teams seemed to be comfortable.
Just when it seemed both defenses weren’t going to be easy to budge, PHS netted the opening goal of the game. Junior striker Brayden Tingler found the ball in some space from 30 yards away from the goal, and floated the ball toward the net. MHS keeper Tyler Crites was caught off guard and the ball traveled over his head, giving PHS the early lead 1-0.
Despite conceding an early goal, the Mohigans didn’t allow their opponents to seize the momentum and responded in perfect fashion. Just three minutes after the PHS goal, Joel Beeson equalized with a well-taken shot into the bottom left corner. MHS midfielder and captain James Percifield worked the ball into the box to Beeson, who buried it home to tie the game at one.
After two early goals conceded, both teams tightened up the defense and didn’t allow another goal until nearly halftime.
PHS crossed the ball into the box from the right wing and as one of the MHS defenders attempted to clear the ball away from danger, it was miskicked and put into the goal of Crites for an MHS own goal. The Big Reds would take a 2-1 lead into the half.
“We gave them some unfortunate goals tonight, ones that were preventable,” MHS head coach Sam Snyder said after the game. “We’ve given up four games this year in the last minute, so it feels good to be the ones to go out and earn the result tonight.”
The second half was just as competitive as the first, only without all of the scoring. After three goals in the opening half, neither team seemed to be able to make the breakthrough in the final half. Some good defensive play and a few great saves by both teams denied one another another goal, PHS looking to extend the lead and MHS looking to equalize.
In the final ten minutes, the Mohigans began to apply more pressure on offense, but still weren’t able to score. PHS keeper Aiden Merritt was a brick wall in the second half up and MHS began to become desperate.
Finally, with eight seconds to go on the clock and after nearly 80 minutes played in the match, the Mohigans equalized after a handball was called on PHS.
Percifield miskicked a free-kick meant to be a pass into the box and after the ball bounced around the top of the box for a moment, it found its way to the feet of Brabson. The winger instictively put his left foot through the ball and curled a beautiful shot over the head of Merritt and into the far-left corner of the goal.
His seventh goal of the season was good enough to earn MHS a draw against the Big Reds and will certainly carry them into the last game of the season with confidence high.
“We started off strong, we were first to every ball,” Brabson said of his team’s performance. “It died down in the second half but we picked it up in the last ten minutes for sure. Somehow the ball found it’s way to me and honestly, I just hit it and it went top left.”
MHS will return home for its season finale Saturday, as they host Capital High School for Senior Day at 2:00 p.m.
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