WELLSBURG – Thursday was just another day at work for University boys’ soccer.
The Hawks were able to impose their will once again as they rolled over Wheeling Park 7-1 at Brooke High School to capture a regional championship and punch their ticket to Beckley for the Class AAA State Soccer Championships.
The Hawks have been nothing short of dominant this fall, entering the WVSSAC Class AAA Regional Tournament undefeated at 20-0-1 while having outscored their opponents 108-11.
“I think last year our biggest mistake was not being mentally prepared for each game,” said University coach Dustin Talton. “Our goal this season has been to put together 80 minutes of soccer, and we’ve been able to do that better this season, especially these last couple of games.”
After dropping a 2-1 decision to Buckhannon-Upshur during the 2017 Sectional Tournament, the Hawks made sure to take the pitch dialed in to compete once the post-season arrived.
“It was a big goal we had this year that we capitalize on big key moments in the playoffs, and we’ve done that better this year, Talton said.”
The Hawks were a bit slow to the start, but scored first with a Nikki Reinhold goal off a Mason Shockley assist in the 15th minute. From there, the Hawks added three more goals before the Patriots could find the net.
Senior Wyatt Nett paced UHS with two goals, both coming in the second half. His impressive performance served as the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back.
“He’s a guy who came off the bench today and had a big performance,” Talton said. “As a senior, he’s started in the past, but he took the role to come off the bench and be an impact player for us tonight and I think he did that excellently.”
Pierce Spain, Matt Cargill, Joseph Biafora, and Shockley also added goals for the Hawks, with Biafora also tallying an assist.
Class AAA Regional Girls’ Soccer: Wheeling Park 1, Morgantown 0
WELLSBURG – Morgantown took the pitch Thursday night looking for redemption.
What they found was a familiar feeling of heartbreak.
The Mohigans dropped a 1-0 decision to Wheeling Park in a Class AAA Regional Final match that could have earned MHS a trip to Beckley for an opportunity at a state title. The loss – just the fifth on the season for the team – proved an aching reminder of the 4-0 loss the Patriots handed MHS the first time the foes met this season.
The loss marks the first time since 2015 that a team from the local section failed to qualify for the Class AAA State Championships.
