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WHEELING -- One more win and the West Virginia Highlanders Football Club will bring home the Ohio Valley Premier League's Valley Division title in just its first season as a program.
The Highlanders (6-2-1) defeated Century United on Thursday 1-0 on a goal from West Liberty's Bernardo Vilchis.
Today, the club travels to Columbus to face Ohio Premier with the Valley Division title on the line.
"We're the only team in the whole league that's not from a big city," Highlanders coach Ryan Wall said. "When we started we didn't know what we had. We just wanted to put together a team that was good to watch and provide some entertainment for people coming to games -- some high level entertainment. Then, in the first game, we realized that we had something special and it raised our expectations a little bit.
"Winning the division is the goal but we just want to finish strong more generally. Longer term, we want to build on this year's success and grow the organization and make it a fixture in Wheeling for years to come."
A division title means the Highlanders will go play in Cincinnati against the Western Conference's River Division champ for the overall championship Saturday, July 24.
"I think we were able to pull together a really good group of players," Wall said. "We're able to get them to combine and work together really well. A big part of that was our connections and relationships with Wheeling University's and West Liberty University's men's programs. We were able to grab some of the top players from those programs and on top of that, we've put a lot of work in on the training grounds and got the guys to buy in to what we are trying to do."
One of those Wheeling University players who has made an impact is Ritchie Afolayanka, who has accounted for six goals in nine games and ranks third in the league in goals scored.
"The interesting thing is we have players from different countries and local players," Wall said. "Everyone on the field is really clicking like they are from the same place and there is no distinction at all. Everyone is getting along well and it's a great group to work with and there is mutual respect all around."
On Sunday, July 11, the Highlanders delivered their most exciting victory of the season with a 3-2 win over the previously unbeaten Ohio Galaxies Dutch Lions.
The Highlanders found themselves trailing 2-0 with seven minutes remaining and Wheeling University's Lucas Fievet netted a pair of goals and Afolayanka added one to complete the comeback victory.
"We've got a habit of just not giving up," Wall said. "We don't quit and adding to that, we have three or four guys with some exceptional skill sets. Not many teams in the league have that."