photo by: Nick Henthorn

Wheeling Central’s Elah Konkle pushes the ball downfield Monday against Columbiana on 16th Street Field.

WHEELING — The Wheeling Central Maroon Knights girls soccer squad had a good day on Monday, racing out to a quick 4-0 lead and cruising to an eventual 6-3 win over Columbiana within the fenced-in confines of 16th Street Field.

So far this season, Wheeling Central has had nothing but good days.

Monday’s victory moved the Knights to 8-0 on the season, the first time Central has reached that mark going as far back as 2010. Coach Ashley Winters’ team has been tested against quality opponents to start their season, and have come out the other side unblemished and ready to continue stacking wins.

“Our girls, man, they just have been playing unreal,” Winters said. “Last week was a very tough stretch for us, four games in a row of very, very good competition. You know, there was Charleston Catholic, Parkersburg, Morgantown, Lincoln.

“How the girls have been playing has just far exceeded our expectations as coaches — Not to say that we didn’t think they could do it. We know the talent we have. We know the group of girls that we have. We were looking forward to this season and they’ve proved it thus far at 8-0.”

Wheeling Central went 18-3-1 last season, and boasts an experienced team with six seniors, as well as younger players contributing early.

“We knew what we had early on in summer,” Winters said. “We saw the girls all summer, you know, us coaches. I think the spectators and people that don’t know our team have been more surprised than the people within the team are.

“We knew the group of girls we had last year, we knew what we had starting this year. There’s high expectations for us, and rightfully so because the girls deserve every bit of recognition that they’ve been getting so far. We’ve always just wanted them to succeed and this program to succeed and they’ve done that this year.”

Senior captains Gianna Konkle and Mariah Ratcliffe feel like this team’s tight-knit nature have helped their on-field performance.

“We started in the early summer and ever since then we just really clicked,” Ratcliffe said. “We try and do bonding events, and everyone just works really well together. Nobody’s down on each other, it’s always positive.”

“We’re definitely a good group of girls,” Konkle said. “We all love each other and I think that’s super important because when we go out on the field, there’s no tension. We all are best friends so we just play to have fun and do what we’re supposed to do.”

On Monday, freshman Elah Konkle scored her team’s first goal in the very first minute of play, followed by sophomore Rylee Wright in the second minute, Ratcliffe in the fourth minute, and sophomore Elizabeth Steele in the ninth minute. Senior Seneca Heller scored in the 18th minute and once more in the 46th minute.

Those players, along with Gianna Konkle and Loni Kusic, have been unrelenting on offense, and mainstays in the Knights’ scoresheet, while keeper Bella Fitzsimmons and the Knights defense had not allowed more than one goal in a game before Monday, where Winters pulled her starters after Heller’s 18th-minute goal, and again just a few minutes into the second half.

Josie Hepler recorded a hat-trick for Columbiana on Monday, all her goals coming in the second half.

“It was a very quick start for us,” Winter said. “I think we were up 4-0 within the first six minutes, something like that. So, great effort by our girls. I give Columbiana a lot of credit. Their goalie, she is a great goalie coming out of Columbiana. Their girls never gave up. I give them a lot of credit and effort for what they did.

“We came out, we didn’t know what to expect from them because we’re not familiar with them. We just know they’re in our OVAC Class 3A. It was nice to see new competition.”

Central’s scoring looked effortless at times Monday, and the team’s captains spoke about the Knights’ on-field chemistry.

“We really connect well on our passes this year and we work really good together communication-wise,” Ratcliffe said.

“We got great girls on the team, we know how to connect and find the goal, and we come out each game ready to play,” Konkle said.

Winters said that Ratcliffe and Konkle are part of a senior class that has changed the culture of Wheeling Central girls soccer. Now, the only question is how high can the Maroon climb.

“This is my seventh year in a coaching capacity and I will say the last two years have been on the up for Wheeling Central girls soccer,” Winters said. “We hope to keep it continuing for years down the road. Our goal is to see Beckley come November and to bring home that state title for Wheeling Central Girls Soccer for the first time ever in the 29 years of the program.”

The bulk of the Knights’ schedule is still in front of them, but Wheeling Central clearly already has their team expectations dialed-in.

“We’re going to try and get OVACs and make a run at states, which I believe we could do. We are a good team,” Ratcliffe said.

“We expect to keep coming out and playing our game, doing what we’ve been doing, get a win in the OVAC championships and make it down to states,” Konkle said.

Wheeling Central will look to preserve their spotless record on Wednesday when they host Steubenville Catholic (4-1-2).