Wheeling Park Girls Solve Linsly
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WHEELING -- Fresh off its OVAC 1A/3A title, the Linsly girls came into Thursday's game against Wheeling Park with a game plan.
That plan was successful for 27 minutes but the defending Class AAA state champion Patriots could not be contained for much longer.
Park standout Merritt Delk found the back of the net with 13:34 left in the half and the Patriots netted two more goals in the stanza before going on to a convincing 6-0 win over Linsly at Wheeling Island Stadium in the 13th Annual Breast Cancer Awareness Game.
Linsly keeper Mia Camps made eight saves before finally allowing Delk's kick to squeak through.
"Their goalie is tremendous," Park coach Carrie Hanna said. "I thought they were very well organized and they had a great game plan. It took us a long time before we figured out how to break it down."
Linsly coach Chuck Neighoff was pleased with the execution of the game plan but knew Park's offense would be tough to slow down for an entire game.
"We had to be aware," he said. "Offensively, they are very strong and they move the ball very quickly. The game plan coming in was to try to stay compact and try to take their lanes away. We were able to do it for a while but as things started to break down, Merritt got through for the first goal and toward the end they were able to get some goals because our players were lunging for the ball. I know they were tired but I was hoping it would work the whole game but that happens."
Neighoff also praised Camps' performance, especially early in the first half.
"Mia had some great saves but eventually when you are taking that many shots, you're going to give up some," Neighoff said. "She has been big for us all year, though."
Delk scored on a pass from Lily Hanna to get the scoring started and then Abby Barki found Mia Zecca on a pair of passes and Zecca buried both into the cage for a 3-0 upperhand.
"That was a beautiful effort by Mia," Coach Hanna said. "She is a tremendous player. We tell her all the time that her ball control is so good that the only way they are going to stop her is to foul her and if they don't stop her, she is going to score. Both of her goals were just brilliant and beautifully placed. She has great skill and just attacks the goal. That's what we told her, 'just go forward. When you start to go at their goal big things happen.'"
Not even a minute into the second half, Lily Hanna found Delk again to extend the lead to 4-0.
Barki made it a 5-0 advantage with 26:48 remaining and Maya Taggart supplied the finishing touches at 25:56 as she raced toward the right side of the net and launched a shot off the top left of the crossbar and into the cage to create a 6-0 cushion.
"They just have great chemistry all over the field," Coach Hanna said of her squad. "That was a big thing and all the credit to Linsly, it was a great defensive effort and they have a great goalkeeper.
"We came out and just weren't moving off the ball but the second we started moving off the ball and finding each other, combining and connecting, the whole team played better."
All proceeds from the game went to research to help find a cure for breast cancer — a tradition the two teams have carried on for 13 years.
"I tell Carrie every year that we are in for this game no matter what," Neighoff said. "It's a great atmosphere for the girls, for Wheeling and it's a wonderful experience."
Both teams joined together at midfield following the game in honor of those who have lost their lives to breast cancer and to raise awareness for the disease.
"It's a tremendous tradition," Coach Hanna said. "It was started by a Wheeling Park player (Jenna Forzano) and we're happy and proud to be a part of the tradition after 13 years. We're happy to carry on that tradition. We have a great relationship with Linsly and it's a great community game where the community can come together for a cause that we can all contribute to and try to end."