Parkersburg South’s Regan Shockey (0) controlled the ball in Tuesday’s district final game against Huntington. (Photo courtesy of Kelly Patrick)
Hurricane – It’s no secret that Parkersburg South girls soccer has been plagued with injuries throughout the postseason.
And on Tuesday night, in a Class AAA district game against Huntington at Hurricane High School, coach Ron Bucholz added a Cajun flavor to the Patriots’ experience with a 2-0 victory over the Highlanders and a berth in the state tournament finals. advanced to 4th.
“I’m proud of these girls for making us say this.” Bucholz said. “We’re going to take a vacation and go play soccer. If we can get a win and move on, that’s great. If not, whatever happens, we’re great. spent the season.
“As they used to say when I lived in Louisiana, it’s all run-yap now. It’s all icing on the cake.”
With 17 wins, 1 loss, and 4 losses, Minami returned to the number one seed position. But the players keep the training staff moving. To some degree, the Patriots are playing with house money.
Parkersburg South’s Callie McCutcheon (left) controls the ball during the Patriots’ 2-0 win over Huntington in a Class AAA district game Tuesday at the Hurricanes. (Photo courtesy of Kelly Patrick)
“We put the players together with superglue and duct tape.” Bucholz continued. “It’s actually more like Gorilla Glue and Gorilla Tape at this point.
“It was the same result as last week’s win (in the sectional final). Their heart and character just fought and persevered against a team that came into the game relatively healthy. We were the only team that wasn’t healthy.”
With key starters Addie Altizer and Josey Barton unavailable against Huntington, fellow senior Regan Shockey took over the offensive line late in the first half and scored the first goal of the game with 45.6 seconds left in the half.
Altizer’s absence forced Shockey to take on a different role in the middle of the field. The result of her direct kick was exactly what Minami was looking for. Earlier in the season, the Patriots defeated the Highlanders 3-0.
“This means a lot because we’ve all grown up together. This is our senior year and we have some injuries and we’re playing for them. is.” Shockey said she plans to compete in the state tournament for the third consecutive year in Beckley for the semifinals next Thursday (Nov. 7).
Huntington’s Claire Johnson, 29, tries to keep the ball away from Parkersburg South’s Anya Powell, 1, during Tuesday’s game at the Hurricanes. (Photo courtesy of Kelly Patrick)
“That goal in the first half took a lot of pressure off us because we were able to relax and focus more on defense.” Shockey added. “But we still wanted to get the extra point.
During the break, the South coaching staff stressed the importance of working on insurance goals and securing the win.
Much like the first part of the first half, the Highlanders looked lively, sending several deep balls into the South half. On two Huntington corner kicks, South keeper Emily Owens flew out of the net and retrieved the ball without incident.
“Huntington put a little pressure on us at the beginning of both halves, but our defense was great.” Owens said. “I was relieved to have such a good defensive line.
“This year, we’re pretty much winning playoff games for real. We give 110 percent and what happens happens.”
The nine days between games will give most, if not all, Confederate players time to recover.
“rest,” Owens responded that this is the key to success at the state tournament.
Huntington finished the season with a 12-9-2 record, but couldn’t find the back of the net for the final 10-plus minutes of regulation. South sophomore Marie Silvis took the halftime talk to heart, hitting a low liner past the keeper with 6:04 left in the second half to give the Patriots a 2-0 lead.
“When you’re up 1-0, it’s very easy for the other team to come back.” Silvis said. “I’ve been working on that shot a lot in practice. They told me to hit it low, and when I did that, I was so relieved because I’ve been working on it all season.”
A minute later, Silvis had the same shot, but it went just over the crossbar.
“I think when I look up at the goal like I did this season, I can keep my head up even more.” Silvis added.
With Silvis and the rest of his teammates, the postseason is the next step.
“Even players who don’t normally play stepped up.” Silvis said. It’s great to see them take a stand and let us have our say. ”
Shockey assisted on the winning goal.
“”We keep finding ways to win, that’s what good teams do,” Bucholz said. “These girls are a happy family and love each other and it shows.
“I hope everyone stays healthy because I thought we had a really good chance to win a state title. Now that we’re there, anything is possible.”
