Lady Patriots Punch Ticket To States With 2-1 Victory Over Hedgesville
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HEDGESVILLE, W.Va. -- A pair of first-half goals provided all the cushion the Wheeling Park Lady Patriots needed Thursday as they captured the West Virginia Secondary Schools Activities Commission Class AAAA North Region co-final with a 2-1 victory over homestanding Hedgesville.
The win secures a trip to next week's state championship games in Beckley. This will mark the second straight year the team has qualified for the state tournament.
The team also avenged a 2-1 loss earlier in October to Hedgesville, which entered regional play as the top seed.
The Lady Patriots had a strong first half, controlling the midfield and locking down Hedgesville senior Jadyn Allen, who entered the match with 50 goals on the season.
Park junior Brenna Tipton, who missed the game earlier this month due to a cross-country meet, started the scoring in the 13th minute, when she took a pass deep from senior Corin McFarland, battled through the defender and tucked a shot into the left corner of the net for a 1-0 lead.
Park added its second goal about 12 minutes later. McFarland took a pass from Tipton deep in the Hedgesville end, striking a shot that bounded off two defenders and into the goal. The score stayed 2-0 until halftime.
Park settled in defensively in the second half, keeping the sheet clean through 68 minutes. Allen did get Hedgesville on the board with 12 minutes remaining, taking a throw-in deep in the corner and poaching a shot just over Maddie Kirchner's fingers to make it 2-1.
That score shifted the momentum, and Hedgesville pressured much of the final 12 minutes. However, Park's defenders were able to keep Kirchner's sight-lines clear until the final whistle.
Wheeling Park is set to start tournament play on Wednesday in Beckley.