Wheeling Park Boys Fall Short of State
WELLSBURG — History was made Thursday for the University Hawks boys’ soccer team as it punched its first ticket to the W.Va. State Soccer Tournament in Beckley with a 2-0 victory against Wheeling Park at Brooke Memorial Stadium.
Joseph Biafora scored the game-winner with 14 minutes left and Collin Mocyunas added an insurance goal on a penalty kick a little more than a minute later.
“This is the first time University High has had this chance and we knew that coming in and I think that gave us that little extra push,” University coach Dustin Talton said. “We are very excited to make some history as a group. What is kinda awesome is since last Tuesday, we have followed the girls in every match and so it has been good luck for us. They have won before us all three games and we get the chance to follow. It couldn’t be better for both teams to go down together.”
University will begin the tournament next Friday against Parkersburg.
For Wheeling Park (12-10-1), though, it left with a feeling of what could have been.
Much like the sectional final last week against Brooke, Wheeling Park came back onto the field for the final 40 minutes attacking hard. University (17-4-2) was on its heels.
Unfortunately for the Patriots, they couldn’t capitalize.
Less than two minutes into the second half, James Hofmann sent a perfect through ball to Trevor Hamm, drawing University goalie Matt Brock out to challenge. Hamm was able to get around Brock, but was unable to get a shot off before he was surrounded by Hawks defenders.
Two minutes later, it was Hofmann with a laser shot that Brock dove to keep out of the net. With Brock down, the rebound was there for the taking but it was the Hawks who were able to clear it out of harms way.
“The first 20 minutes of that first half, it wasn’t because we weren’t trying, it was because we were playing too hard and getting ourselves out of position,” Wheeling Park coach Mario Julian said. “We calmed them down at halftime and man, we came out great. I thought we were taking it too them, got the goalie off his line, but just couldn’t finish.”
The easiest way to kill momentum in soccer, though, is to score.
That is what Biafora was able to do in the 66th minute, a low shot that went off the post and beat Wheeling Park goalie Zach Calvert to break a scoreless tie.
“He has been doing that all season long,” Talton said. “Whenever you get in tough moments, tough games like this, some of these guys have to step up and make big plays and do something special and that was just one. Whenever we needed a goal the most, he seems to step up and get it. Great finish. He had a couple in the first half that he knows he should have finished but he made up for it.”
Added Julian: “He is a good player. He just slipped right behind our defender and had a breakaway. In a game like this, you are looking for a team mistake. We made one and he capitalized. That is the way it goes.
“Zach Calvert was the MVP of the game, even though we lost. He was amazing, especially in the first 20 minutes. He kept us in it.”
Mocyunas’ penalty kick sealed it 76 seconds later.
“We like our chances next week and we have to go in with that mindset,” Talton said. “We have our work cut out for us, but we are going to give it our best.”
COMMENTS