CHASING — Weir High’s Karen Coons chases the ball against Wheeling Central’s Matthew Cliniti and Dominic Gianngeli in Thursday’s sectional contest. – Nick Henthorn
WHEELING — It was a disappointing start to the postseason for both teams competing on the East Wheeling soccer field. The Wheeling Central Maroon Knights and Weir Red Riders have been frequent playoff opponents in recent years, and Thursday’s game featured a fierce battle between two familiar foes.
The Maroon Knights (12-5-2) earned a narrow 1-0 win over visiting Weir (7-14) on Thursday, defeating the Red Riders and advancing to the section championship.
“When you play with Weir, it’s always a tough game.” Wheeling Central head coach Brian Komorowski said. “We always play them in the postseason and it’s always a tough game. We knew it was going to be a battle, but they’ve improved a lot this year.”
“It was a great match” Weir head coach Adam Welsh said. “I’m really proud of the way our players played. We were here in early September and we didn’t play very well. We were a different team, but it’s a testament to how we’ve grown. , we really showed how united we were as a team. We just had a little bit of a breakdown on defense and they were able to get shots through us. We didn’t get enough shots on goal. We couldn’t finish the attack completely. But I’m still proud of them.”
Wheeling Central defeated Weir 4-0 in regular season competition in September.
After a scoreless first half, Thursday’s only goal came in the 48th minute when Lincoln Marler scored on a long shot from the right wing.
“Lincoln got the ball in the middle of the field, carried the ball up the field and saw an opening.” Komorowski said. “We kept telling them, ‘Hit the shot hard and low.’ New goalie.’ He hit a really good shot and made it.”
Weir’s keeper, Eduardo Souza, only appeared in a few games as Weir’s keeper. The senior made an impressive performance despite being new to the position, making six saves in the game. Two of those shots came in quick succession, and in the 10th minute Souza parried two shots from corner kicks, both of which were powerful shots from close range. Souza deflected the first shot and caught the second through the air.
“Toward the end of the season, we were putting him in there just to change things up and change the flow a little bit.” The Welshman said of Souza:
“He did well in a few games and he did well in this game. That was a nice shot that went right past him. We couldn’t fight back. But I’m proud of the men’s season. I think they did a great job.”
Weir had just two shots on goal, and Tino Sperlazza kept the Knights scoreless. The best defense for Wheeling Central on Thursday was a good offense as the Maroons dominated the ball for most of the game.
“We didn’t allow through passes or long runs.” Komorowski said. “We tried to put pressure on them from behind. No matter what they were playing, they were playing a 50-50 ball. So we were able to put pressure on them, We were able to turn the ball over before it got too deep.”We didn’t allow a lot of shots. ”
“If we can put pressure on from our forwards and attacking mids, everything will fall into place from there.”
Weir graduates five seniors: Souza, Alex Ghio, Max Wood, Angelo Figlioli and Ben Howard.
“It’s a great group of boys.” Wales said of his team: “I’m happy for our seniors. We went to the OVAC Championship. We didn’t win, but we got there. We got better all year. We’re here. Even though I’m the only coach, all the seniors have helped me put the team together. I couldn’t be more proud of my boys and wish them all the best. is a good team.”
Wheeling Central advances to the sectional championship. The Maroon Knights reached the state semifinals last season and have high expectations this year.
“We are expected to report to the state annually.” Komorowski said. “That’s been the case for years, and that’s the culture we’ve tried to build here. Even though we lost a lot of seniors after getting this far last year, we brought in a lot of new starters. There were still expectations, “Just because we invested in something doesn’t mean our expectations change.” I think I’ll try it again on Saturday. ”
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